Through Their Eyes
by ShatteredStarveling
Summary: Bella Swan is happy to play the part as a side character on TV. But when her manager tricks her into joining a new romance reality TV show, Bella finds herself contracted into a fake relationship with TV heartthrob Edward Cullen. Despite the perfect man he plays on screen, Bella is well aware of his true "frostbite" personality...or is she? (Rating for language and future chapters)
1. Chapter 1

"A couple's reality TV show." My manager smiled widely, her arms coming out to her sides as though she'd revealed her greatest idea yet. I shook my head instantly.

"No." I said flatly. Her face twisted into a scowl as she sat back down in her puffy leather chair. She tried giving me her best sad eyes, but I wasn't going to falter on this one. A couple's reality show? Has she conveniently forgotten that I don't have a boyfriend? And even if I did, I would never subject myself to the harsh scrutiny of society. I looked around her office hoping that she would drop it if I stopped paying attention. My eyes skimmed over the pictures of family and work which hung neatly from the wall; Alice holding her first TV production award, Alice with her boyfriend Jasper, Alice and I shaking hands over our partnership which started nearly 5 years ago. My eyes continued on. Her shelves were overloaded with production texts, serving as her guide to her latest, and most obnoxious, endeavor.

"Please." She begged softly. I cast a sideways glance, her chin was pressed against her chest in defeat. I shook my head again. Not going to work my dear manager.

"No." I answered again simply. The plants which were situated around her office still held the unconsumed droplets of their morning spritzing, refracting the natural light into tiny shimmers which shone through her large bay windows. Keep strong. She can't force you to take this job. Alice would just need to find some other sad sap to do the job for her this time. I wheeled my head back around to her unusually messy desk. Notes, pictures, binders, and data charts were chaotically sprawled across the wooden surface, her keyboard and mouse lost beneath the piles.

"I'm short one couple, and I need someone I can trust. We've been working together for a while, and I consider you my best friend! You'll be paired with someone we know and believe me that this will be nothing more than a professional working relationship. Contract and all." She could try to make this seem as simple as she wanted, but I knew the reality of working in TV. It was never that simple, nor uncomplicated. Especially when it came to love shows. Every aspect of your lift analyzed under a microscope, no little secret undiscovered. The repercussions for participating would last long after production wrapped. And knowing Alice, this wouldn't be a one off season either. If I agreed, it would never end.

"You know how I feel about reality shows Al. This is just not the right fit for me. I would do anything for you, but not this." She huffed flinging herself back into her chair dramatically, her arms coming to cross her chest. She chewed on her bottom lip, squinting her eyes trying to find the words I would need to hear in order to agree.

"It pays well." She smirked. Normally, those would be the words. There was never a time that I wasn't desperate to earn more money, scraping by with what little I managed to make. But my dignity didn't have a price. I shook my head.

"But," A knock on her door cut off her words. I turned my head and sighed relieved. Jasper. He popped open the door and poked his blonde head inside.

"So?" He asked. I chuckled standing up from my chair, grabbing my bag.

"Sorry Jazz. Maybe you can explain to your girlfriend why I am not the right person for this job." He moaned stepping into the office. I chuckled. He knew that if Alice couldn't get me on board, then he didn't stand a chance.

"It would be strictly professional." I nodded.

"Said that." Alice grunted from behind me. He rubbed his face.

"And a contract!" I nodded again. I see they had a little pow-wow prior to our meeting. I smirked.

"Covered." Alice snapped. He stepped forward and grabbed my hands. I looked away. Where Alice used force and fear, Jasper was quiet and kind.

"The money?" I pulled my hands back, stepping past the company's CEO. The sooner I could get out of this room, the faster I would be to safety. I was proud of myself for lasting this long, but I didn't want to risk the wrath of Alice for another 5 minutes.

"I'm heading home Al. Good luck with the hunt. I'm sure you'll find a perfect fit." She didn't even grace me with a look as she trained her eyes on Jasper. I would be feeling this rejection for a while.

"Jasper, we need to discuss some things." I put up a hand and made myself scarce. Jasper was going to have a long day ahead of him. This was going to be Alice's first big production, and she'd been abnormally wound up lately. That was yet another reason I didn't want to get involved. If this show started to fail, Alice would seek out my hand to try and bring it back to life. I didn't need that kind of pressure at work or within our shared home.

I passed the offices of the various production teams, their screens and desks covered with promotional products for the new show, 'Through their Eyes.' Jasper and Alice were going full out with this one. As a new firm in the industry, it hasn't been easy making a name for themselves. And as much as I hated the premise of this show for myself, I think that this was going to be exactly what they needed in order to place them on the map. It wasn't a terrible idea, couples competing against others in order to win prize money. Different challenges aimed at discerning compatibility, the public acting as the rulers over who wins.

I'd hardly left the building when I received a text message from Jasper. I furrowed my eyebrows as I opened the message.

'_I want to take Alice out tonight for a celebratory dinner. Please come. I know she's upset but I think having you there would be good for her_.' I groaned. It was bound to be another attempt to get me to join, but I wouldn't be able to avoid Alice for the rest of my life. Maybe they would get some things figured out before dinner, and we could put this all behind us.

'_Of course. Where_?' I sent back as I slipped into my car.

'_Lyre Hotel. Conf. rm. 6. 8 tonight_.' Hotel? I suppose Alice and Jasper did plenty of social meetings there, they probably get specialty deals. I placed my phone on its holder and pulled out of the parking lot.

I stopped off at the fresh market first, picking up some necessary groceries and a lunch for myself. Never eating at home made grocery shopping easy, my lunches and dinners eaten out with Alice. But I suppose with her going to be out of the house more often for this show, I would need to buy some more food to eat.

My second stop was at the library, my two books sitting on reserve for me. Another way I would be able to fill my new freedom from my overly excited roommate. I haven't been able to read in peace since high school. Without Alice I may actually finish a book this year.

"Excuse me miss," I looked up to the librarian. His eyes focusing hard on my face as he squinted behind his black rimmed glasses. I smiled. "I don't mean to be rude, but you look so familiar. Have we met before?" My cheeks involuntarily flushed with embarrassment. I reacted this way whenever someone asked me this. Chances were he saw me as some side character on a show, but my plain features weren't enough to stand out against a crowd of beautiful celebrities. I shook my head slowly.

"No, I don't think so. I come in here a lot, so maybe that's where you've seen me." He shook his head unconvinced. I snatched up the two books into my hands.

"No. That's not it, I'm sure. What's your name? Have you ever been on TV before," I turned waiving a hand over my head as I walked towards the exit with quick steps.

"Thank you!" I shouted over my shoulder as I walked out the door. While I loved acting, the attention wasn't something I'd gotten used to quite yet. Where others bathed in it, I preferred hiding in the dark.

"You…you're welcome." He stammered back. I sighed. Just go home and relax.

...

I glanced to the clock. 7:30. I sighed. I had managed to get through a quarter of my book, and snuggled up in my blankets on the couch, I didn't want to move. But Jasper asked me to support Alice, and I promised I would be there. I stood and stretched before walking into my room. After flipping through my closet, I settled on a white button down and a pair of black skinny jeans. I didn't know how formal this dinner was supposed to be, so I went with a safe in between.

Following the navigation of my GPS, the hotel was only 20 minutes away from our apartment. I parked out front, looking up at the building which just screamed money. I suppose Jasper wanted to give his girlfriend a classy night out. The bright florescent lights of the lobby made my eyes squint as the sheen of the marble floors made my vision blurry. I'd never been to one of their socials before, and finding this conference room was going to wind up with me lost within this labyrinth of a hotel. I walked up to the front desk, the resting bitch face of a women behind the desk analyzed her perfectly manicured nails. I stood before her, her inattention to my presence becoming annoying.

"Excuse me," I prompted as I leaned slightly over the counter. She looked up with a bored expression. Lovely lady.

"Yes?" She asked quirking an eyebrow, her eyes unashamedly scanning my outfit. I should've just called Jasper to come get me.

"I'm looking for a conference,"

"You came!" I jumped as Jasper's voice shouted from behind me. The woman looked around me, her eyes growing wide as she straightened out, a fake smile now stretching her face in an unnatural way. Jasper jogged up to my side and grabbed my upper arm in a vice like grip. I see Alice was rubbing off on him.

"Mr. Whitlock. A pleasure to see you again." The woman purred, but Jasper didn't even seem to notice she was there. He pulled on my arm, causing me to stumble after him as we walked down the far left hallway. I waived back at the slighted woman, she huffed returning to her nails. Serves her right!

"Slow down Jazz. What's the rush?" My short legs were having a hard time keeping up with his long strides. We'd taken so many turns I wasn't sure I'd be able to find my way out of here unaccompanied.

"I just don't want to be last." I furrowed my eyebrows. Last?

"Who else is coming?" To this question, he remained silent. I huffed rolling my eyes. Maybe he just invited a few other office hands working on the project for Alice.

"How's Alice been since, well, after our meeting this morning?" I asked. He looked down at me and smirked.

"She's fine. Come on! Pick up the pace." I was already in a half jog as it was. I was practically heaving by the time we stood outside of a door with a sign that read 'Conference Room 6'. He straightened out his jacket, opening the door and shoving me through. The long table which looked as though it could seat 20 was empty, save Alice. She jumped up from her chair, rushing over to me with a bubbly air I hadn't expected to be greeted with. She snatched me away from Jasper and ushered me into a chair at the head of the table.

Something felt…off.

I looked between the grinning pair as they sat down by me, Alice on one side and Jasper on the other. The room was void of any real food, only a bowl of peanuts and chips sitting in two bowls. Alice was gripping a manila folder tightly in her hands. I went to stand but the couple placed a hand each on my shoulders and shoved me back down.

"What's going on?" I asked. Alice rolled her eyes waving a dismissive hand.

"Calm down. We're just waiting for the food to get here. That's all." I nodded slowly.

"Anyone else coming?" I asked. She smirked averting her eyes, Jasper shrugged his shoulders.

"I invited a few people. We'll see." I nodded. The deafening silence made my ears ring. This was beginning to feel less like a dinner and more like a…meeting.

"So Alice, find another couple yet?" She shook her head.

"Let's not talk about work right now. How was your day?" I slit my eyes. Alice NOT talk about work. That was rare. Work was her life and she wanted everyone she came in contact to know about it.

"Good. Went to the market, got a couple books, and relaxed at home." She and Jasper both grinned and nodded like porcelain dolls, hiding something behind their eyes. I huffed leaning back, crossing my hands on the table.

"Cut the shit, what's going on here?" For the first time, Jasper's façade cracked. So he was the weak one. I turned my full attention onto him. He swallowed hard.

"Nothing. This is just a celebratory dinner!" I nodded. Bullshit.

"So you've told me. For what?" I pushed. He averted his eyes. Alice grabbed my forearm, regaining my attention.

"Calm down. We're just waiting for a friend of Jasper's."

"A friend?" I asked. She nodded.

"Why would a friend of Jasper's be coming?" She chewed on her lip. She was nervous. I could feel a storm brewing as the tension rose. I needed to get out of here.

"I forgot that I made other plans. I should get," I started, going to stand, but a knock at the door cut me off. My heart beat furiously in my chest as I glanced to the door. They wouldn't dare. Jasper sighed and stood quickly striding over to the door. Alice shoved me back into my seat and soot at my side, the position she took between me and the door not going unnoticed.

"So glad you found it, please come in." Jasper greeted as he stepped aside. From the hallway, a man entered. My breath hitched in my chest, as I took in who exactly this friend of Jasper was.

Edward Cullen. TV drama heartthrob. I didn't think it was possible for someone to look even better in real life, but from his tousled dirty blonde hair to his dark blue button down and dark washed jeans, he was gorgeous. His reputation was also something I'd heard a lot about. Cold, unfeeling, and uncaring towards others; a stark contrast to the loving boyfriends he portrayed on TV. His cold emerald eyes glanced to Alice first before landing on me. His lips quirked ever so slightly as Jasper guided him to the seat beside him. I reached over to Alice, gripping her hand tightly in mine. She flinched slightly trying to wriggle free.

I am going to kill her.

"So, now that you're both here, we can start." Jasper said excitedly as he clapped his hands together. Edward leaned back in his chair seeming put out by this little meeting. Even if I had agreed to this ridiculous show, he would be the last person I would ever agree to do it with! This time I stood from my chair, giving Alice a serious glower.

"I said no Alice." I spat. She jutted out her lower lip, flinging her arms around my neck, clinging on tightly.

"Just hear us out. Edward's agreed so long as you go on with him. Please, just give us 5 minutes." I grunted glancing to Edward, his eyes trained on the wall behind us. Why me?

"5 minutes. Then I'm gone." She squealed happily and shoved me back down to my seat, sitting on my lap as a way to try and anchor me. Jasper grabbed the folder Alice had been holding and unclasped it. Within a stack of papers were produced; the contract. I'll be dammed if I find myself in this type of situation again. I knew Alice could play dirty, but I never expected Jasper to stoop down to her level. They must've been desperate. Jasper walked over to Edward resting a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged off.

Ass.

"This is Edward Cullen. I'm sure you've heard his name in the news before. Edward, this is Bella Swan." He glanced to me momentarily before looking away.

"Never heard of her." I scowled.

"You son of a," Alice's hand clasped tightly over my mouth as she giggled.

"She's honored to meet you." I pinched the soft skin under her arm, releasing her hold with a yelp. Jasper grimaced.

"Like hell I am. You honestly thought that this was going to be your ace in the hole! You've both lost your minds. This show is about love and relationships. I doubt it would bode well for your viewers if your couples are constantly at each other's necks." I couldn't understand why they were so desperately trying to get us on the show. It was bound to be a disaster. Jasper came down to his knees at my side, his hands clasped in a begging manner.

"We need you two specifically." I cocked my head back.

"Why?" Better yet, why did I even care?

"Edward needs the PR boost and you need exposure." I rolled my eyes. No way that this was for an entirely selfless reason. Alice slid down from my lap and mirrored her boyfriend.

"We're also worried that the ratings aren't going to cut it if we just have average couples on the show, but with you two participating, I'm sure that we'll be able to reach our goals." So the show wasn't showing an initial public interest. Bring on a couple of amateur celebrities and they might be able to garner enough attention to get the show moving. We don't do this and it fails. Great. I glanced to Edward, who was still more interested in the choice of paint than the outcome of his "friends" show.

"Why can't you do it with someone else?" I asked. He didn't even honor me with words as he shrugged his shoulders.

"He needs someone who he hasn't worked with before. Someone that can be trusted to keep the secret. You've never worked with him before. Plus, you know Alice and me, and you know the situation, we trust you." I groaned closing my eyes, dropping my head back against the chair. How did you find yourself in this one Swan? If this falls through for Alice, it would be my fault. And now I was going to have to subject myself to ass-ward over there for the next 4 months. Pretending to actually enjoy his company, when I truthfully would love nothing more than to never see him again.

"Isn't this a contradiction to the whole show? A fake couple? Seems hardly fair." I was running out of resolve. I knew they weren't going to give up on this idea. My excuse was hardly a valid excuse. It's not like this would be the first that a reality show wasn't entirely real. Still didn't mean I wanted to be a part of this farce. Who knows what kind of repercussions would arise _when_ this went down?

"Not fake, just…truth stretched." Alice cooed. I rolled my eyes turning my full attention to my partner. I was surprised that Mr. Uptight was so willing to go along with this ridiculous plan.

"And when this crashes into the ground?" He, for the second time during this little meeting, rolled his eyes over to me. With a shrug he then looked away again. I've wanted to punch a pretty face so badly in my life.

"I don't care what other people think about me. Besides, if we're discovered it won't be because of something I did." I opened my mouth ready to rip into him, but yet again Alice intervened. She stood up and clapped.

"No one will find out! We will be on top of every possible media outlet and if we need to make adjustments, we will. Please. Look as this as an opportunity." I sighed. Was I really going to let her do this to me? 4 months of an inconvenience to be around Popsicle over there in exchange for exposure and some money. I nodded.

"You are so going to owe me." I paused rubbing my temples. "What are the conditions?" I asked softly. Alice and Jasper both shouted with excitement as they jumped up to their feet.

"Nothing you're uncomfortable with." Jasper took over now as Alice prepared the contract. "The filming will take place over the next 4 months. You two just need to report to set on shooting days and act the part of a couple in love." I nodded slowly. If this kept me in Alice's good graces, I could stomach working with him. She'd done a lot for me over the past years, and if she really couldn't do this without me, then I would help her this one time.

"The contract is a promise to finish the season, filming a total of 16 episodes. You'll be paid per episode, but a cancel in the contract will result in a penalty fee. And trust me that far exceeds the cost of completing the filming. And of course if you win at the end of the season, you'll both be entitled to receive the prize money." Alice started, running her finger down the paper as she read over the broad details.

"The content of each episode will be provided to you, as well as to the other couples, prior to each filming. This is so you can prepare and discuss with one another your plans." Jasper followed up. I rolled my eyes. I think I'd have better luck speaking to a wall. "There may be days where a camera crew will follow you in your regular life, but you will have ample heads up when this happens. Also, you're going to be a featured couple for the upcoming promotional material, so we're going to require you to come and film a few commercials before the official season begins. Of course you'll receive extra payments for doing this." I groaned as Jasper slid the document towards me. I picked up the pen hoovering the tip over the signature line. That innocent line which would ultimately be my demise.

"Wait." My eyes snapped up to Edward. Did he really just speak without prompting? Shocking. Jasper and Alice gave him their attention as he leaned forward pulling the document away from me.

"What?" I asked annoyed. After all this, now he's backing out? Alice chewed on her lower lip anxiously as Edward flipped through it slowly, his tongue coming out to lick his bottom lip slowly. Such a waste of a beautiful man with such a rotten personality.

"I have a couple conditions of my own to add."

…you've got to be fucking kidding me.

Jasper nodded eagerly and flipped to a blank page towards the back used for addendums. This should be interesting. At this point I just wanted to get it over with so I could get home and enjoy what little time I had left before the shit show came. Alice came to my side, eyeing Edward curiously as he leaned back, lacing his fingers across his abdomen.

"First, no dating or fraternizing with the opposite sex until the season is concluded." I furrowed my eyebrows. Seriously? Jasper wrote quickly on the paper as Alice leaned nodded in agreement.

"It's a good idea. The contract was made standard for the other couples, of course adultery for them wasn't our biggest concern. But we need to be sure that you two are as pious as they come." Of course she agrees with him. I nodded.

"Fine. What else?" He smirked looking up at me. I could feel my soul shirk away under his intense gaze.

"I'm not going to be the reason she's able to pull this off. She's responsible for her own acting abilities. She gets one hour a week with me. Nothing more." Not a problem with me, like I wanted to spend more than 5 minutes in his presence anyway. Alice glanced to me nervously, I smiled sweetly.

"Perfectly fine with me. I wouldn't want to encroach upon Mr. Cullen's valuable time. I do hope that I will be able to live up to his expectations. I wouldn't want to let down my _loving boyfriend_." My tone was sharp. He seemed none the wiser to my sarcasm however. Jasper just wrote down his requests obediently, Edward signed the document first before it was slid over to me. With a deep breath, I did the same. Alice snatched up the document and quickly shoved it into the safety of her briefcase. I suppose she knew in a split second of sanity that I wouldn't be opposed to ripping the document up in her face.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you both. Looking forward to a successful season. I know that this will be a great opportunity for you both and," I put up a hand standing. I felt as though I've just signed away my soul. 4 months of daily interaction with Edward Cullen.

"Save it Jasper. I'm leaving. Congratulations Alice on finding your last couple." She was too happy to even care that her best friend was seriously thinking about her untimely death. Edward stood next, walking towards the door.

"I'm leaving too. If you need me, ask Jasper to contact me." I balled up my fists at my side. The door clicked close behind him and I let out a slurry of profane words cursing every aspect of him under the sun. Alice was giggling behind her hands as Jasper flopped back into his chair with a sigh.

"Could've gone worse." He muttered. I gave him an incredulous stare. Was he joking? Because if that was Edward on his best, I couldn't even fathom him at his worst. What have I gotten myself into?

"Was he really the best option you could come up with? I don't even think an icicle could pretend to be his girlfriend." Jasper smirked running his hand through his hair, while loosening his tie with the other.

"He's not that bad. Just a bit tough to read is all. He was as opposed to this as you were, you know. I told him that you were going to be in on the deal, which was a lie I know," I closed my mouth, "but it seemed to change his tune." So he just wanted to torture me. Great.

"Where did you find him Jasper?" I turned slowly to Alice. So this whole "friend of Jasper" thing was a complete lie. Lord knows what this guy's story is. I was basically their sacrificial lamb. An interesting romance for the sake of TV.

"He's my cousin." Both mine and Alice's jaws dropped. Jaspers…cousin?! He'd never once mentioned this relationship before. You look at the talking iceberg and his warm thoughtful cousin and wondered how there was any relation there.

"Your cousin? I didn't know Edward Cullen was your cousin. Why have you never told me this before?" I shook my head. I did not need to be around for their lovers quarrel. They should've just but propriety aside and added themselves to the show. It would've made an interesting dynamic anyway.

"I'm leaving. Alice stay with Jasper tonight?" It was a question, but I think she got the hint. She nodded hugging me tightly and Jasper shook my hand.

"This is going to be a great thing Bella. I promise." We'll see how they're feeling after the first episode is filmed. I nodded and grabbed my bag. Now I needed to stop and get food. This was the worst night I've ever had.


	2. Chapter 2

"I feel absolutely ridiculous." I muttered tugging at the uncomfortable dark blue gown which clung to my ribs like paint, but belled out at my waist. Alice skipped around me in her white pant suit ensemble, tousling my hair so it feel nicely around my neck. I glanced to the mirror, the woman looking nothing of the truth which lied beneath the makeup and fancy jewelry.

"You look beautiful. Trust me, as far as the beautiful couple goes, you and Edward have that one nailed down. Now if his highness could learn how to show up on time, we could get this promo started." I rolled my eyes sitting down in my chair, playing with the crystalline earrings which dangled from my ears.

I hadn't seen Edward since our initial and tense meeting two weeks ago. Alice thought it would be a good idea to keep some distance at first so as not to burn myself out, because once the season started we were going to be practically glued at the hip. This was fine by me. I'm not sure what kind of acting skills he thought I would be biting at the bit to get from him, but I've seen his work and let's just say that he most certainly did not leave me wanting.

"Has Jasper spoken to him?" I asked looking over my shoulder to Alice, who was fiddling on her PDA. She nodded slowly.

"So he's told me. But I have a feeling he's just lying to me to keep me happy. I don't think that Edward answers calls, he makes them." The more we talked about him, the more upset I became. And this was just the promotional video.

"And what's wrong with that?" I looked up to the mirror, Edward was now standing in the entrance of the small makeup trailer. He hands were tucked into his pockets, where I had to dress up in this ridiculous garb, he was allowed to remain comfortable in a standard navy blue suit. Jasper squeezed in behind him, joining Alice at her side. I sighed standing up from my chair.

"You're late." I muttered. Edward shrugged his shoulders.

"Didn't think they were going to start without me." He responded. Alice huffed shoving me towards Edward.

"We need to start if we're going to keep the daylight. Edward, in the future, please try to be on time. When the other couples start showing up," He put up a hand silencing Alice. She gasped cocking her head back. Jasper grimaced.

"Got it." He quipped back. This man was intolerable. How Jasper allowed him to talk to her like that was unbelievable.

"Wait, wait, wait." Jasper said quickly, stopping us both before we could leave the trailer. He waggled his finger between us. "You can't just walk out there like that. Hold hands like a normal couple would." I groaned. Alice smirked motioning over to Edward. He sighed stretching a hand out over to me. I stared at is as though it were covered with the plague.

"Bella," Alice urged. I huffed grabbing his larger hand in my much smaller one. He tugged me forcefully behind him as we stepped out of the trailer. The director was waiving us over from the spot we would be shooting from; the middle of a rose garden with a Victorian mansion as a backdrop. It was beautiful, but I didn't have the ability to appreciate it standing so close to Frostbite.

"You didn't contact me." I looked up to Edward's face, his eyes still looking forward at our destination. I furrowed my eyebrows. Didn't think he'd even notice.

"I don't need your inspiring words. Don't worry, I intend to keep our interactions with one another as scare as possible. Just worry about yourself." He scoffed.

"Your loss sweetheart." He said cheekily. I bit my cheek, not wanting someone to overhear our lovers spat. The last thing we needed was doubt to creep in before we even started. We came to stand before the director, I smiled sweetly placing a hand onto Edward's chest. I glanced up, his stone cold face still in place. And he thought I was going to be the one to ruin us. The older gentleman looked between us curiously, his grey eyebrow quirking his up onto his forehead.

"Hello Bella, Edward. So glad that we get to work together. Color me surprised when I saw that you two would be participating in this show. I suppose you two aren't the public eye type, guess we're going to break that, huh?" I giggled nodding slowly.

"Yes, we tend to keep our relationship secret. But when proposed with this opportunity, how could we not help out?" He nodded excitedly. Edward remained silent.

"Right so. Well if you two would please seat yourselves on the bench in the middle of the garden, we'll start with some aerial shots. Feel free to talk freely, your audio won't be recorded for this segment." I nodded as Edward tugged me harshly towards the bench, my feet stumbling as we walked.

"You're going to break my ankle." I hissed softly. I never liked wearing these death traps, so having him yank me around wasn't helping. He huffed slowing his pace.

"Bothersome." He sighed. Once at the bench we sat an appropriate distance apart from one another, his hands crossed his lap. I looked around the garden, a gentle breeze swaying the swing. I looked back at the production crew, where Alice and Jasper had now joined. The director turned his attention to us, lifting the megaphone up to his lips.

"Please don't be shy. Bella if you could move in closer to Edward. Lean on him as you might do at home." I could feel my face blush. Why did I have to be the one to make up for his frosty exterior? Alice leaned against Jasper, mirroring what I should be doing. I sighed turning to Edward. He remained unmoving his eyes drawn to something off in the distance.

I scooted my butt closer to his, leaning my head gingerly upon his shoulder. The director nodded slowly. Alice and Jasper were shaking their heads. I suppose we looked as awkward as I felt.

"Now Edward," Without further instruction Edward's hands were pulled apart and his arm came around my shoulders. He squeezed me tightly, his chin coming to rest on the crown of my head. I tried my best to keep my face composed. God he smelt good.

"Good! If you could please stay like that for a few minutes." Easy for you to say. The drone was flown up and began circling around us.

"You could try to pretend that you like me just a little bit. Why even agree to this if you're so unhappy?" I muttered, keeping the smile on my lips.

"Jasper begged me to. I owed him a favor. So long as you worry about yourself, I can take care of the rest. Follow my lead, and you'll get your money." It took a lot out of me to keep from rolling my eyes. I reached my hand up to his chest, grasping his tie tightly in my fist. I tugged slightly causing him to grunt.

"Perfect!" The director shouted as the drone continued to buzz overhead.

"Let's get something straight _sweetheart_. I'm not doing this for the money. I'm doing this for Alice and Jasper. I was against this idea from the very start. Sorry to burst your bubble." He pulled back slightly looking down at me. I slit my eyes as he leaned down, I gasped as he pressed his lips against my temple. My heart pounded frantically in my chest.

"What are you," I started, preparing to shove him, but his grip tightened on my shoulders. The drone then swooped down and panned right by our faces.

Asshole!

"Beautiful timing Edward!" The director shouted yet again into his megaphone. I wondered if he knew that he didn't need to yell in order to be heard. As it flew back towards the crew, Edward pulled away and dropped his grip. Alice and Jasper were giving us thumbs up.

"I told you. Follow my lead and you won't embarrass me." I grunted peeling myself off of him.

"I'll try not to." I huffed standing up swiftly. But thanks to the heels, which Alice insisted I wear, I could feel my weight buckle. I braced myself for impact. In an instant, Edward was up, a strong arm wrapping around my waist as I fell back. Out of instinct, my hands shot up and clasped onto his shoulders, our faces coming only inches apart. He clenched his jaw. Didn't expect that one.

"You must be more careful. Can be seen dating a girl with a busted up face." There it was. I scowled as he set me back onto my feet. I pulled away, stalking back towards the crew. "What? No thank you kiss?" He shouted after me. I shook my head.

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice asked jogging to meet me. I nodded.

"Only my pride is hurt. No more heels Alice." She looked away ashamedly and agreed.

"No more heels. But Edward did catch you. That was nice of him." I rolled my eyes. Yeah, nice of him.

"Alright Bella, Edward. If you two could please stand below the tree, we're going to shoot the audio now." I sighed walking to the indicated position. Edward sauntered over towards me, his hands in his pockets as he stood to my right.

"You two really don't like showing public affection, do you?" The director joked, Jasper and Alice laughing halfheartedly. I sighed wrapping my arms around his waist tightly, nudging his arm up and over my head.

"Perfect! Edward we'll start with you. Please recite your lines." Edward nodded, a smile coming to his lips for the first time. "Action."

"Hello everyone. Bella and I hope that you can join us in our new adventure together as we join the Through Your Eyes family this Spring." I nodded patting his chest tenderly as I took over.

"March 8th, we'll be doing a live taping of the first episode. And every week you'll get to learn a little more about us and watch as we compete against 3 other couples for a grand prize. Decided by you, the public." Edward squeezed me tightly, resting his chin on my head. Please let this just be a single take.

"Every week we'll take on a new challenge as a couple, and you'll get to vote who you feel is the most compatible." Almost done.

"Please join us, Friday nights at 6, to watch our story unfold. We'll see you there." We both raised our hands in a wave, standing for a few silent seconds. The director called cut and we extracted ourselves from one another.

"The scripting was perfect, but," My stomach dropped. Please not again. He turned to Alice. "I think the waiving at the ends was a bit, cold." I snorted. Everyone glanced to me curiously. I shook my head. If he was the one standing in my place, he would understand how true his words were. Jasper stepped forward trying to divert the attention.

"What would you suggest?" Jasper asked. The director hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. The silence was awkward as he pondered his problem. Edward huffed annoyed.

"I don't have time for this." He muttered softly under his breath. He wrapped himself around me tightly, I braced against his chest with my forearms.

"What are you doing?" I whispered. The interaction had been seen by the others as they turned towards us.

"How about this?" Edward prompted, before looking down at me. I gasped, lost for words. In a swift motion he was leaning down, his lips crushing against mine forcefully. I balled his shirt up into my fists, unable to relax my posture as his eyes fluttered closed. His free hand came up to cradle my cheek.

"Yes! That's it! Get the shot." The camera men follow his instructions. I tried not to look as I felt, violated. Alice and Jasper were covering their shocked expressions as their wide eyes stared at us. How long was this going to take?!

"Perfect!" Our lips smacked apart, his arm remaining around my waist as he pulled back. I placed a hand up to my face, the blood which had rushed to my cheeks making my face warm and brain lightheaded.

"That's a wrap everyone! I look forward to working with you both in the future. Good job today, go have some fun." I giggled pulling free of Edward with a bit of force. He tucked his hands back into his pockets, Jasper walking up to his cousin. I shivered. I would never be able to wash the feeling of his body off of me.

"You did," I put up a hand shaking my head. I didn't even have time to process what I'd just endured.

"Mouthwash. Sanitary wipes." She rolled her eyes wrapping her arm around my waist, escorting me back to the trailer so that I could change.

"Come on! It wasn't that bad. I think it was kinda hot. The way he man handled you." I shivered shaking my head. Easy for her to say. And being man handled wasn't my idea of romantic.

"Alice, if you value your life, you will shut the fuck up." She giggled helping to undo the lacing across my back.

"I know this is hard on you. I really appreciate you doing this. Who knows, maybe you'll be the one who can thaw Ice Prince's heart." I rolled my eyes.

"I thought you were on my side." I muttered, as the dress fell to the ground. I slipped my jeans back on and pulled my shirt down over my head.

"I am. Just keep playing nice and this will all be over before you know it." She kissed my cheek and flitted her fingers leaving me alone. I huffed sitting back down in the chair. My hormones were still in a tizzy; a mix between rage, shock and…excitement? While I was not naïve to the ways of men, I hadn't been in the game for a while. Such a quick locking of lips took me by surprise.

I knew that eventually kissing would need to happen, just not for the promo video. Alice better receive positive feedback from this, because that was not happening again, anytime soon.

I grabbed my things and walked towards the parking lot. My hand dug around blindly in my purse trying to find my keys. Hurried footsteps pounded against the ground. I turned my head to look over my shoulder.

"Hold up sweetheart." I groaned coming to a standstill as Edward's voice drifted to me from behind. Why can't I just leave?! Edward came up to my side and dropped an arm down over my shoulders. I went to slip out from under his grasp, but his grip tightened. "Uh huh. We're being watched." He whispered leaning down to my ear. I looked behind us, and sure enough, there was a gaggle of people looking on at us with smiles I could see from here.

"Fine." I huffed placing an arm around him. "Thanks for the warning by the way." I grumbled. He rolled his eyes.

"I told you to contact me to practice. You're going to blow this whole thing before we've even started." I've been trying my best to bite my tongue, but this man evoked the strongest emotions in me.

"Well maybe if I wasn't cozying up to a statue, I wouldn't have such a hard time trying to control myself! You act as though you're perfect, infallible. But I'm going to fill you in on a little secret," He pursed his lips as I grinned, "you're not." He walked me to my car, opening the door for me. I slid down into the seat, grabbing the handle to close it, but his hand caught on the jamb. He leaned forward, his eyes looking first to the back seat of my car, before focusing back on me.

"At least I can kiss someone without having a mini freak out. Have a good night, sweetheart." I grunted tugging forcefully on the door, this time slamming it shut in his face.

Fuck this guy!

Seriously, who does he think he is?! If someone half way decent had kissed me, I'd be able to keep myself under control. But him! I doubted I would ever be able to kiss him without the intense desire of punching him in the throat!

Gah! I hate Alice for making me do this. I pulled out of the lot, mentally flicking off Edward as I passed him getting into his fancy BMW. My phone rang, Alice. I shook my head hitting the ignore button. She called another 6 times, but must've gotten the hint. I didn't want to hear from her until our next shoot.

When I got home, I tried my best to scrub his cologne off of my skin, but no amount of soap in the world would free me from the feeling of his hands on me.

"Bella darling! I'm home!" Alice sang, her voice breaking through the small amount of peace I'd created in the shower. I ignored her calls continuing to scrub my face, lips in particular. "I would really appreciate that my little star didn't block my calls. I was getting worried." I rolled my eyes. I wasn't lucky enough to get into a car accident this time. "Hurry up and finish your shower. I need to talk to you!" I groaned sitting down on the ground of the tub. I seriously contemplated sleeping in here, but the hot water was already running lukewarm and she wasn't shy enough to refrain from hauling my naked ass out of the bathroom.

I twisted the knobs of the tub to the off position and wrapped myself into a towel. I opened the door, only to find her standing against the facing wall, her arms crossed over her chest. I walked past her without a word and into my room. Alice's heels clicked behind me and she stood in the doorway as I changed into my pajamas.

"You can't avoid me forever. I get it, Edward was being an ass. Trust me, I did not appreciate the little slight he did on me this morning. But for both our sakes, we need him. If he pulls out then this is all over." Not the worst sounding idea, except for that penalty clause.

"Alice, let me deal with this in my own way please. It's hard enough that I have to actually pretend to be in love with that…thing. Can we not stink up our home too by talking about him?" She sighed sitting down on the edge of my bed, my neatly tucked black comforter crinkling under her weight.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know Jasper's cousin was going to be such a diva." Her chipper tone dropped, allowing me to hear her sincerity this time. I nodded.

"Thank you." I sat down beside her. She reached over and grabbed my hand, tightly.

Oh no.

"And I will owe you all the donuts you can eat for this next favor I ask you." I shook my head quickly. She launched her small body onto me, using her freakish strength to pin me down to the bed.

"No more promos Alice. I can't." I cried out wriggling like a child throwing a tantrum.

"It's not a promo, I promise." I stopped looking up at her face. She smiled.

"We had a couple close calls today. And Jasper and I think it would be a good idea to have you and Edward get together to talk some things out." I could feel my eye twitch.

"I do not need to take any acting advice from that chauvinistic bastard!" She huffed lowering her face to the point that our noses were touching. Alice put on her business face.

"Not advice. Just talking. Learn about each other. Maybe then you two wouldn't look like robots." The last thing I wanted to do in my free time.

"It's not going to help. If anything I'll probably just compile more things that I hate about him." She sighed rolling off of me, I rubbed my sore wrists. Where did she get that grip?

"This is just the beginning. If you two are going to pull this off, then you need to be on the same page. Please try, that's all I expect of you." I groaned flopping over onto my stomach.

"Why do you hate me?" I moaned. She chuckled.

"Just give it a shot. It's only for one hour, per his ridiculous stipulations. I will get on my knees again," I put up a hand.

"Don't. I'll do it." She hopped up from the bed.

"Wonderful! Tuesday at 1, Dalia's." I nodded. "And try to get a picture of you two together to post on the fan page. You're the only couple who hasn't yet." Again, I nodded. "I'll let you get some rest. Sleep well!" I listened as her heels clicked across the room, my door shutting indicating her exit. I rolled back over, staring blankly up at my ceiling. One hour of staring at each other. Alice was delusional if she thought that this was actually going to be a productive interaction.

Grabbing my book, I did my best at keeping focus. But my mind would inevitably wander back to the job which laid ahead. This would be the official unveiling of our relationship. While I knew it was possible for me to slip under the radar, Edward would surely be noticed. Constantly being berated for autographs and photos. I wonder if he did that? He didn't seem like the kind of person to give others what they wanted, unless there was something for him to gain? He said that he owed Jasper a favor, but the point still remained, what was there to gain for him by doing the show?

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.


	3. Chapter 3

Optimism be damned! I'd been sitting at this table for the last 45 minutes, waiting for Frosty to show up. For someone who seems to value time, he certainly didn't take mind of others. As the waiter walked away, having checked on me for the 4th time, my stomach grumbled angrily. I had skipped breakfast after waking up so late, something I was severely regretting at this point. I tried texting both Jasper and Alice, but neither had gotten back to me. Perhaps they were busy, or better yet they were afraid to confront me. I stared at my phone screen. If he's not here by 2, I'm leaving.

"Did you order?" I startled, looking up. Edward stood at the other side of the table. His blue shirt stretched across his broad shoulders tautly, his black jeans tapered at just the right length, just above his converse. He pulled his chair out before taking a seat. I narrowed my stare. Not exactly the apology I was looking for.

"You're late…again." I seethed. He shrugged his shoulders, flipping through his menu lazily. It didn't take long for the whispers to start. The voices of curious men and women reaching my ears as they tried deciphering the strange woman with Edward Cullen. The waiter returned to the table, the excitement making him stutter as he spoke to Edward.

"Wh…what can I do, I mean, what can I get for you sir?" I rolled my eyes. I should've just left.

"A sparkling water and the club sandwich. No tomato, I'm allergic." He rattled off, the waiter practically walked away, having forgot I was even present before I cleared my throat loudly. He face tinged a light red as I gave him my order. With his presence gone, an uncomfortable silence fell between us. I tried to invoke my inner Alice, to think of something to say, but I couldn't.

"First lesson, stop looking so defensive." I put up a finger. Oh no. We're not going there today.

"No lessons. In case you've forgotten, _you_ were the one that was late. I'm annoyed. If you could try putting forth just a smidge of effort, that would be great." He continue to swirl his glass of sparkling water, the bubbles streaming from the bottom of the glass to the surface.

"If not advice, then why am I here?" Good question.

"Because our managers feel that we should get to know one another. So if you could just give me a list of your pertinent details, I'll read it on my own." He shook his head.

"I have a bio page. Just read that." I rolled my eyes. I told Alice this was going to be

"A page which everyone has access to? Hardly proof of a meaningful relationship." He huffed.

"There's nothing you need to know that isn't on there." If this was how he wanted to play it, then fine. I pulled out my phone and navigated to his bio page. I could see Edward look up at me from over the top of my screen. I startled rattling off the information.

"No brothers or sisters, like me. Parents, Esme and Carlisle Cullen. Started working in TV when you were 16, credited in 8. Jealous! I started at 16 too but could only manage 6 features. Favorite dish spaghetti and…Bolognese sauce." I furrowed my eyebrows. Tomato sauce? I glanced up but he didn't say anything. Hum?

"Here you go!" The waiter nearly shouted as he set our dishes down before us. I placed my phone back onto the table and look at my dish. Mushroom ravioli.

"My favorite." I muttered under my breath as I stabbed one of the pasta pieces and shoved it into my mouth. We ate in silence, my eyes glancing to the time on my phone, the minutes not ticking past nearly as quickly as I felt they were. With our meals completed, the waiter cleared the plates.

"I'm going to wash up." Edward said standing up from his chair. I picked up my phone once again, continuing to shuffle through the insignificant details of his life.

"Bella?" I looked up, unsure where the woman's voice came from. "Oh my god, Bella Swan?!" I twisted around in my seat, my eyes finally finding the source of the voice. I bit back my groan. Why? She'd grown since high school. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a tight pony tail, bright pink shirt and skinny jeans hugging her envious curves. She placed a hand on my shoulder, her nails biting into the flesh on the back of my shoulder. "It's me, Lauren!" I faked realization as I stood, hugging her with one arm.

"Oh Lauren, so nice to see you. It's been so long." Not long enough. I'd gotten my fill of queen bitch, and this was not a good time to have a little reunion. She continued to tighten her grip on my shoulder, the hell I'd endured in high school coming back like whiplash. Her popular group of friends lashing those beneath them with their tongues. I made it my goal to avoid them on a daily basis back then.

"I can't believe we've run into each other here! What are the chances? I have to congratulate you on your work. I've seen you on TV, you must have a magnificent manager getting you all those roles." I furrowed my brows. An insult?

"Well thank you. What have you been up to?" She grinned, droning on about the success of her family's insurance firm, being sure to mention her wealth on more than one occasion. My eyes often drifted towards the restrooms, hoping like hell that Edward wouldn't appear. Once her rant was over, she dropped her head so that she was level with me. Making fun of my height now huh?

"I know that you and I weren't the greatest of friends in high school, but I want you to know that I was always jealous of you." I quirked an eyebrow. Jealous? "It's true! You were so smart and all the boys couldn't seem to stop talking about you. I suppose me being jealous of you is a silly thought now though, right?" I chuckled shaking my head. Still as vicious as ever. "Well I need to be off. I'll let you finish your meal. I take it you're alone?" Her tone pitying and malicious. I gaped like a fish, unsure how I should answer.

"No. She's with me." Kill me. I turned my head just in time to see Edward's hand grasp onto Lauren's wrist, prying her fingers free of my flesh. Edward's gentle fingers massaged the sore spot, his back turned to her as he faced me. I cocked my head back. "A friend?" He asked. I neither agreed nor disagreed.

"Edward…Cullen?" Lauren nearly shouted from behind him, straightening out her shirt and puffing out her chest. He shook his head roaming his eyes over my face.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't keep such company in the future. Stress will do terrible things to your skin." I bit my lip, shaking my head. And just when I thought a good deed was being done, he'd squash it just as quickly. He pushed me back down into my seat, this time sitting beside me.

"Hi! I'm Lauren Mallory." I looked up at Lauren, her hand extended but Edward's eyes remaining trained on me. How he ever managed to create a fan base was beyond me.

"Did the waiter bring the check?" I shook my head, my eyes bouncing between Lauren and him. Lauren's face turned sour as she glared down at me.

"Your boyfriend?" She asked. I nodded. Edward glanced to her in his peripheral. I suppose on this matter, we were in agreeance.

"Yeah. Been together for 6 months." I answered simply. She hummed leaning back with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Interesting, I've never seen anything about this online." I chuckled patting his hand.

"I don't like my private life being disturbed." He answered coolly. I rolled my eyes. At this rate it wasn't going to be a fake relationship that would sink us, it would be his treatment of our viewers.

"Sorry about him, he's just been stressed lately is all. Didn't get much sleep last night. Don't mind him. It was really great seeing you again Lauren, but we need to be heading out. I hope to see you around soon." She huffed flipping her hair in elaborate fashion, and stomping off towards the exit without so much as another glance. I sighed leaning back in my seat, rubbing my temples with my fingers.

"You need to stick up for yourself." I rolled my head in his direction. I did not need his words of wisdom right now.

"Sorry that I wasn't prepared to see a ghost from my past. I'll try to work on that." I wondered how his cast mates ever managed to get along with him. His emotional roller coaster was exhausting.

"I am rather surprised with the direction you took it though." My face squished in confusion. Direction? He smirked cheekily, the waiter walking back over with our check. Edward seemed to wait until the man was within ear shot, for his words were too calculative. "That we're sleeping together." Like a furnace had been lit within my stomach, my body went hot. I shook my head quickly, trying to convey my denial to the waiter, who simply blushed and walked away.

"Are you trying to create a scandal? That was most certainly not _my_ intention." I hissed. Edward shrugged his shoulders, glancing to the black coverlet. I rolled my eyes tossing money onto the table. I just needed to get out of here. I went to stand but Edward snatched my forearm, tugging me forcefully down into his lap. I bristled from the contact. He rested his chin on my shoulder, his free hand seeking out my cellphone. "What are you doing?" I squirmed, his arm tightening around my waist.

"We need to take a photo, as requested by your lovely manager." I rolled my eyes, trying to relax. So he had been in contact at least with Jasper. One photo and we're done. I smiled, tipping my head against his, the soft tendrils of his hair tickling my forehead. He held up the camera, only a small smirk coming to his lips as he clicked the capture button. His grip loosened and I stood back on my own feet. He handed over my phone.

"Thanks for lunch." He said softly standing to his feet, leaving me at the table alone. Such a confusing person. I grabbed my purse and walked out to my car parked in the lot. I had hardly sat my ass down before my phone was buzzing in my hand. I groaned. Just 1 minute. That's all I wanted. Alice. I answered, placing the speaker up to my ear.

"How'd it go?" I shook my head.

"Perfect. How else would it go?" She was silent for a moment.

"I feel like you're lying to me." Ya think Al?

"Lauren showed up." I started. A string of profanities came out of my friend's mouth. She wasn't exactly her biggest fan either, and she didn't even go to school with her. When she'd finally stopped raving, I gave her the glossed over version of events.

"Well even if I think Edward is an ass, at least he's a good judge in character." Who knows? Maybe he didn't like her, or maybe he was just putting up a front in order to keep in character. I was just glad that it was over. "And the picture?" My face flushed from the memory.

"I got it. I'll post it when I get home." She made a dissenting noise.

"Uh huh. No time." I groaned. "You need to come to the office. We need to go over the particulars for the first episode. I want you and Edward to be fully informed before we shoot."

"Do I have an option?" She just laughed before hanging up. Take that as a no then. I pulled out of the parking lot and made my way towards the office.

Alice was sitting behind her desk, flipping through papers when I knocked on the door. She looked up and smiled, motioning to the chair. I sat down with a huff.

"The attention the promotion that you and Edward did far exceeded our expectations. We're projected to double our initial numbers for the first episode." I nodded. Interesting. What did that translate for me? More people were going to bear witness to this ridiculous farce.

"What's the premise of the episode?" She flicked through some papers before, somehow, pulling out one in particular. She read it over quickly, gnawing on the cap of her pen.

"Mostly an introduction to the couples. Some background at first, sitting down with the hostess and answering questions. That's going to take up the bulk of the air time. We're going to do a small challenge where the four teams will be split into two groups. The men will be blindfolded and have to determine whether the body part they are touching is their girlfriends or not." Lovely, more touching. And not just by Edward this time.

"That's it?" She nodded setting the paper down to look up at me.

"That's it." I sighed. Not the worst, I suppose that was still to come.

"List of questions?" She grimaced. I cocked my head. You've got to be kidding me.

"Don't have it. The hostess will be conducting the interviews, and she's got full control over that. Don't sweat it too much, it's not meant to be an interrogation." But it could very well turn into that if neither of us are able to answer any questions about the other.

"I wouldn't over think it. If anything, you could use your budding romance as an excuse to not know the small details. Just remain calm and pretend like you can't keep your hands off of him." I braced myself on the armrests and stood.

"We're done?" She nodded.

"We're done. Do some research on Edward. I gave Jasper a portfolio on you to give to him. I wished I could give the same to you, but he seemed less inclined to do the same." Real rich. The bastard gets a personalized log detailing my life via Alice, and I was stuck with a blog riddled with inaccuracies. I doubted he would even read it.

"Perfect. Have a good day Alice." She nodded returning to whatever she'd been working on before.

When I'd gotten home, I posted to photo and then did my best to try and research the elusive Mr. Cullen, but apart from that one blog and an article from high school about winning a piano competition, the internet was scarce on details about who this guy really was. He seemed to better fit as a ghost in this world, seeming popular but with little information regarding that title. He was going to yet again seem like the doting boyfriend, apt to knowing so much about me when I would know absolutely nothing about him.

What could I do? I glanced to my phone, and gasped. Jasper! He was Edward's cousin after all, he had to know something about him! I flipped through my contacts, selecting Jasper's number. I continued to scroll through the webpages, how many Edward Cullen's were there in this world!

"Hey Bella!" I sighed with relief.

"Jazz, I need your help." He chuckled.

"Shoot. I'm at lunch right now, so I've got some time." I scrambled, grabbing a pen and pad of paper from within my desk.

"I need you to tell me everything you know about Edward." He paused.

"Edward? Didn't you two meet for lunch?" I rolled my eyes.

"Regardless. I know Alice gave you a folder on me, but I need some more basic information on him. Please, anything you know, tell me." He hummed for a long second.

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know a whole lot about Edward." I shook my head.

"But he's your cousin." He chuckled.

"I know, but our families were never really that close growing up. It wasn't until after college that we really started talking again. Even then it was more superficial." This was really beginning to feel like I was fighting a losing battle.

"Well besides the fact that he has no siblings, and what his parents' names are, I'm stuck. There's got to be some things you can tell me."

"Alright, I can try to help. But don't take my words as absolute truth. These are just my best guesses." Better than nothing. "His favorite color is blue. Dark blue to be particular. It seems his closet is filled with that same pallet," I hummed. True. Every time I've seen him he was wearing some shade of blue. "He plays the piano, beautifully I might add. But he never likes to showcase this ability." Piano, check. "Favorite music, eclectic?"

"Why the question?" He chuckled.

"He's always listening to different music, couldn't tell you what his favorite genre is though." I grunted. Talk about a broad answer. "He's a homebody. Rarely likes leaving the house. Suppose that's why he was late today. Sorry about that by the way." I shook my head.

"Later. What else?" I refocused. Jasper hummed.

"He's a pretty good cook from my experience. I've only had a couple dinners at his house, but the food was 5 star." Cook? That was an intriguing detail. "He's a minimalist. Doesn't like a lot of chaos. His house is pretty barren, clean, pet-less, and orderly. Probably has OCD or some shit." I snorted. I could see that.

"Friends?" Jasper laughed.

"None. He's not a socialite. He keeps to himself." I nodded.

"Girlfriends?" I asked.

"You're his first." He joked. I shook my head.

"Seriously Jazz, I'm trying to build a portfolio here." He continued to laugh.

"I am being serious! I've never heard him so much as even say a woman's name before yours. It seems things like love is trivial to him." Now that was surprising. Mr. Popular with the ladies never had a lady. While I wasn't swimming in men, by 25 I'd managed a few relationships at least.

"I know you said that you didn't really hang around together as kids, but any heartwarming stories you can tell me?" I waited, reading back over the list I'd created thus far. It was a start, certainly nothing to the level of a real couple, but it should get me through some of the interview questions.

"There was the time I was staying up at my Aunt and Uncle's house in upstate New York. Edward, ever the loner, was sitting by himself in the yard, reading a book while me and a couple other kids were playing some games." I found it hard to believe that Edward has always had this disposition, even as a child, but Jasper had no reason to lie to me. Jasper continued. "We heard such sad crying from somewhere, sounded like a kitten. We followed the noise and sure enough, there was this kitten clawing on for dear life to the limb of a tree. We tried to climb up but it was too steep and we were just kids. We didn't know what to do." I smiled, imagining a brood of boys trying to literally save a kitten from a tree. "And then, out of nowhere, Edward appeared with this massive ladder. Without a word he set it up, climbed to the kitten, and cradled it to his chest all the way back to the house. To the best of my knowledge he kept that cat until the thing died I'm sure." I hummed. So Edward did have a heart under all the frost. That was a good story, real or not.

"Anything more about his house?" Jasper umed through the receiver.

"He lives…comfortably." Why do I feel like he's hiding something from me?

"Comfortably?" I clarified.

"Yup. I gotta head back Bella. Hope this helped." He hung up without another word. I looked at my phone. Jackass. Looking at my notes, I decided I had enough to get me through the first episode. I grabbed my book and curled up onto my bed, flipping to the page I left off on.


	4. Chapter 4

We sat in a couple of chairs just off of stage right. I played with the strings of my white blouse anxiously, trying not to think about the live audience which filled the room. My leg shook as I watched the hostess laugh and joke during the 3rd couple's interview. Edward continued to play on his phone, reading through news articles, as though he wasn't about to go to war. I rubbed my sweaty palms along my jean covered thighs. From what I could hear, the hostess wasn't going too far into detail about the couple's relationships. But something told me that being last was not going to go in our favor.

"Calm down." Edward muttered, shoving his right foot into my left. I huffed.

"How are you so calm?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Just am." I rolled my eyes.

"Probably because you had the leisure of reading my file. All your answers are going to sound good." I muttered. He looked up from his phone and looked over to me.

"Who said I read it?" I growled kicking his foot away. Figured. Now we were both going to sound like fucking idiots.

The crowd just beyond the stage erupted with cheers and exclamatory calls as the third couple both stood and shook the hand of the hostess. This was it. This was where we either learned how to swim or we sank. Whatever decisions we made here today, would undoubtedly decide our fates for the remainder of the show. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"And next we have the most anticipated, and shall I say, shocking couple. Please help me welcome Edward Cullen and his girlfriend, Bella Swan." I took a deep breath and stood, Edward shoved his hands into his pockets walking out into the spotlight first. I scrambled to remain close behind him as we crossed the stage to the little living room like set-up. Edward sat on the couch, and I sat next to him. The hostess, Celeste, shook both our hands before sitting down in her single chair. I glanced to my right, my heart skipping a beat seeing so many people cheering and clapping. I never loved doing live audience episodes. Every movement under scrutiny. Edward cleared his throat as one of his hands came down onto my thigh. I refocused and smiled.

Celeste's black hair was pinned back from her face, her French manicured nails held tightly onto her cue cards, but her grey eyes never seemed to leave Edward's face. True to form, he continued to scowl as he waited for her to begin.

"Well I've been waiting all day to get to this segment of our interviews! How about you all?" Again the crowd erupted. I giggled shaking my head. God I felt like puking.

"I think it's safe to say that, we were all stunned not only to see that you two were dating, but that you would be participating on Through Their Eyes. That kiss in the promotional video, wow!" The crowd laughed. I nodded slowly.

"I was just as surprised as you Celeste! Edward tends to play things close to the chest. As I'm sure you can see. But that was all his idea." I mirrored her excitement, something all interviewers seemed to love. She fanned herself, tapping Edward's arm playfully.

"I wish I had a man who would kiss me like that!" I bit the inside of my cheek, we had a hard enough time proving this relationship without her incessant flirting. In 4 months, he was all yours honey. "Well while I'd love to just sit here and chat with you, I think the people should get to hear a little about your story. Right?" She knew how to play the crowd. Alice picked a good one.

"So tell me, how long have you two been seeing each other?" Edward squeezed my thigh lightly. I hummed.

"Just over six months now." I answered. She awed holding her chest.

"A new love. The newest of all the couples. How sweet! And tell us, how did you two meet? I don't think you've ever worked together before." At least if we had, I might've know a little bit more about what I was getting myself into. This time Edward answered.

"Library. Bella is a true book worm. Often checks out two at a time so she never runs out of reading material." My own eyes widened slightly. How did he know that? Alice wouldn't have put that in the folder. He continued, "I was looking for some sheet music, and being as short as she is, couldn't reach what she wanted on a high shelf. So I lent her my height. The rest is, as they say, history." Okay, that was impressive. The crowd awed in unison.

"I believe you said sheet music? Can you tell me what instrument you play?" Again he squeezed my leg. Whether he was sure I knew the answer or just wanted to see me flounder was unclear. I placed a hand on his chest and leaned towards Celeste.

"The piano. He's a proficient player. I could sit for hours and just listen to him play aimlessly. He'd even won a national high school championship when he was younger." Edward shifted, his face now downcast to me. I grinned smugly. For the first time, he seemed surprised.

"Oh the piano. Such a beautiful instrument." This wasn't going too shabbily yet. "Well I think a question we all want to know is whether you two have made the plunge yet?" I furrowed my eyebrows, Edward chuckled. How did he understand that woman? There were so many plunges in a relationship.

"Every day, but she's a bit more reserved on the matter." Celeste gasped, for the first time, turning her accusatory eyes to me. I flinched in confusion. How could I defend myself if I had no clue what she was asking?! Just past Celeste's shoulder, off stage, I could see Alice and Jasper snickering to themselves.

Helpful.

"Bella, is that true? You've never said the L word to Edward?" My face flushed. That plunge. I frowned and shook my head slowly.

"I know! It sounds so bad. But I take that word seriously. I don't want it to be a fleeting thing to be said because you feel obligated to. I really care for Edward, but I just haven't garnered the courage that he has quite yet." She sighed shaking her head.

"Girl, you'd better get the ball rolling or else you might be in trouble." I was killing him. Make himself seem like the perfect boyfriend while I was the jaded girlfriend. Wonderful.

"How about family? Have you met the parents?" Edward shook his head. Go on then.

"Bella and I aren't very close with our parents. And neither of us have siblings," seriously, where did he find these things out, "so it's really just been a small circle that knows about us. Until now I suppose." He joked. But his words rang very true in my ears. Parents I hadn't spoken to since moving to California after high school. I guess in that regard, he and I were a lot alike.

"How lucky you two are to have found each other." I nodded. "So what does your home life look like? Living together?" I started to shake my head, but Edward spoke up first. I glanced up to his serous face.

What the fuck are you doing?

"In the process of actually. You don't truly learn about a partner until you've lived with them, right?" I looked to Alice and Jasper, their mouths popped open in shock. So this _was_ all his great fucking idea. Newsflash idiot, we weren't living together. And now there was a nation of people who thought otherwise. Heaven forbid I'm caught leaving my own apartment, and accused of sleeping with other men!

"So soon! But when you know, you know! Once settled you must let us do a day in the life of segment. I'm sure that our viewers will love it!" She batted her eyelashes. Edward nodded. Day in the life of? This is what happens when you talk too much Edward. You say things which cannot be taken back.

"Of course." I pushed through, keeping a smile on my face. The show must go on. I would worry about that after.

"What about pet peeves?" I grinned. Where did I start?

"Anal retentive," I said at the same time Edward said, "messy." Celeste laughed along with the crowd. Edward and I both snapped our eyes to one another.

"Oh boy. So quick to answer. Well let's hear it then." Edward squeezed indicating I go first.

"His home is immaculate. Every item has a specific place. He's very attentive when it comes to misplaced objects. I've told him that he may have OCD, but he denies it." She hummed looking to Edward. Jasper was snickering to himself.

"She is much more of a free spirit than I am," never been called that before, "she tends to leave one task for another and whatever mess that comes with behind. You should see her car." I gasped, smacking his chest.

"It's not that bad." I defended weakly. It really was. I couldn't tell you how many water bottles have piled up on my floorboard. Just a lucky guess.

"How adorable?! Alright, we're coming to the end of your interview," thank God, "so I have just one question left for each of you, and we want to end it on a good note. What is the thing you love most about your partner?" I hummed softly in thought. I waited for the squeeze, but he started first.

"Her ability to remain true to herself. In whatever situation she finds herself in, no matter with what company, she is always true to herself and what she feels. When I'm being an ass, she'll tell me." I smirked. Not bad Edward. And not a lie. If there was one thing I couldn't stand, it was fake people. Just because you're faced with a superior or a beautiful person, you shouldn't lay down your morals in order to satisfy them. The crowd awed. Celeste turned to me, I smirked. PR boost huh? Thank you Jasper.

"His compassion. I know it can be hard to see sometimes, but Edward truly is one of the most compassionate and gentle people I know. There's this story that he's told me from his childhood, and for the love of me I will never forget it." Celeste leaned in with interest. I chuckled. Edward pulled back and furrowed his eyebrows. That's right, Bella's got tricks too.

"Well now you have to tell us?!" I tipped my head, glancing to Edward.

"Do you mind?" I asked shyly. He shook his head slowly. "Well when he was a little boy, there was this poor kitten caught in a tree. When all the other neighborhood boys couldn't climb the tree, Edward went and found a ladder and climbed right up to that kitten and took him into his arms with the gentleness of a father. He took him home and loved him every day. That's the Edward I see when I think about him." Celeste was dabbing at her eyes, tears threatening to flow down her cheeks. Edward's face was tinged a soft pink, his eyes wide in shock. I winked to him before looking over to Alice and Jasper. Alice was trying her best to hold back her own tears.

I think that's a wrap.

"Oh my! How perfect?! While I was stunned at first to see you two on this show, I can see the love you share. Please give them a hand everyone before we go to break." The crowd stood and applauded as the director called cut. I stood from the couch, stretching out my cramped hands. Hard part over. Alice waived her hands for me to come over. I took a step, but my hand was snatched up as Edward stood towering over me. His eyebrows knitted together as he leaned forward. I clenched my jaw.

"How?" I chuckled tapping his cheek.

"You're not the only one who can play this game sweetheart." He grunted as I snatched my hand back, walking across the stage to Alice. Edward's heavy footfalls followed after me. She wrapped me into her arms, placing her mouth by my ear.

"That was incredible. I thought you said he didn't talk?" I rolled my eyes.

"I didn't." Edward responded, "but someone did." He mused, turning his eyes to Jasper. Jasper put up his hands defensively.

"I did what you asked, my research. Found an article about the championship. The OCD? Look at you. Not a long shot. Jasper only helped with the story. PR right?" He scowled turning and walking away in a huff. Alice sighed patting my head.

"You did wonderful. You both did. Very convincing. You had the room moved to tears, you can't pay for that kind of exposure." I wanted to be happy that was over with, but we still had the challenge to get through, not to neglect that whole living together thing.

"You'd better go and join the other couple's, they should be starting back up soon." Jasper urged shoving me in the general direction that Edward had stormed off in. I walked, getting pointed in the right direction. Huddled in a back room, Edward along with the 6 other people were standing in a group. The women were standing close to Edward, their own partners forgotten. I snorted. Guess the kitten story worked. Edward locked eyes with me, I flitted my fingers teasingly. It's about time he's the one hanging by the ropes.

"Alright everyone, up here please!" One of the production hands waived his arm above his head. I turned looking up at him.

"We're about to start the challenge. Will Sarah and Jeremy please pair off with William and Georgia? Laura and Zachary you're with Edward and Bella. When you go back to the stage please remain with your competitors so as not to get confused." The women decided to rejoin their boyfriends. I hadn't really been paying much attention to the others, but the man and woman standing alone must've been our group. Edward and I walked towards the two. I shook both their hands, Edward doing the same.

Laura was a petite girl, about my height. She had strawberry blonde hair, which fell in delicate waves down to mid back. Her cropped shirt exposed her tight abdomen and large breasts. Her boyfriend, Zachary, was a little pudgier. At about Edward's height, he would've been prime as a football player back in high school. He ran a hand through his crew cut brown hair and smirked at me. I internally groaned.

Laura eyed Edward slowly, being sure to do a thorough assessment of his package, before turning a harsh eye to me. And her boyfriend wasn't much better, his eyes roaming over my body in the most uncomfortable way. Edward dropped an arm over my shoulders and tucked me into his side. I huffed. Why couldn't he save it for the audience?

"Glad we could be working together." She purred placing a hand on his bicep. Zachary nodded excitedly, reaching out to place a hand on my shoulder, but Edward pulled me back and turned us away.

"You too." I called over my shoulder, the jilted duo looking after us in annoyance. I was going to have to have that _pervert_ touching me? I surprised myself, finding a sense of comfort in Edward's hands when thinking about Zachary boy there.

"This is going to suck." Edward frowned.

"Agreed." I chuckled. The first thing we actually agree on! At least he didn't have to be subjected to him. I shivered.

"If he touches you inappropriately, tell me." I looked up stunned. Was he…concerned? I shook off the thought. No. This was Edward. He wasn't concerned about anyone but himself.

"I can take care of myself." I muttered. He sighed.

"Whatever you say sweetheart." And he's back.

Out onto the stage, Laura and Zachary stood by Edward and I on the right most side of the stage, while the other two couples stood to the left. Celeste came back out, her bubbly persona having popped during the break. She shook out, stretching her mouth in odd positions as the director started the countdown from 5.

"Action," He shouted. The crowd began cheering loudly as Celeste's balloon reflated. How she smiled for so long was a mystery to me.

"And we're back with all the couples! To conclude our first episode, we're going to see how well these guys know their ladies. Girlfriends, if you will please take these blindfolds," a man walked across the stage handing one to each of us, "and secure them around your man's eyes." I stretched up onto my toes, first setting the fabric against his eyes before reaching around to the back of his head in order to tie the knot. Our faces were so close that I could smell the hazelnut coffee on his breath. I strained keeping on my toes for so long, Edward rested his hands on my waist, steadying me out. The crowd cheered. I shook my head.

"Slick." I muttered. He smirked. Once tied I dropped back down to my feet and turned to our hostess. Once all the men had been blindfolded, the girls were instructed to step back.

"Alright ladies. We're going to have you step up to both your boyfriend and the man of the couple you're competing against, presenting them with one of your body parts. They will then have to determine if the 1st or 2nd touch was the body of their beloved. The team with the most correct answers, wins! Are you ready?" She asked looking to us first. I swallowed hard, nodding once. "Are you ready?" She asked looking to the crowd, they cheered. Two staff hands came out onto the stage, I was grabbed and placed before Zachary as Laura was positioned before Edward.

"We're going to start off easy, ladies please walk up to your first match and give them your left hand." I sighed taking the three steps and holding out my left hand. Zachary attacked it like a lion, his rough fingers molesting my fingers one at a time. I grew severely nervous about what he would do with a more intimate body part. I glanced over to Edward, and just as his fingers brushed hers, he pulled back. Laura pouted silently as Edward placed his hands behind his back.

"Alright ladies, switch." I walked over to Edward, holding out my hand. He reached forward, and unlike Laura he took my whole hand in his, running his fingers up my palm and down the back. I shivered.

"Alright, step back." I did as instructed, tugging a bit to get him to release me. "Next to you boys, you will feel a table with a whiteboard and marker." The other men fumbled to grab the board and marker, Edward seeming to have no problem as he pulled the lid off with his teeth. "Please write the number of the touch you think was your partner." He wrote and clicked the lid back on. "And…reveal." The men flipped their boards. I smirked. 2. He'd tugged me around enough over the past month, guess I'm not too surprised he knows what my hand feels like. I looked to my right at Zachary, I covered my snort. 1. Laura was glowering at her unaware boyfriend.

Again the staff came out and shoved some of us around, I took my place in front of Zachary yet again.

"Looks like Edward and William are the only ones who got this round correct. Please wipe your boards and set them back down. Next ladies, please present your hair to the men." My hair?! I did not want his greasy hands in my hair.

Again I stood before Zachary tipping my head to the side, dangling my brown tendrils before him. His hands were gentler this time, but the thought of his hands, and who knows what they've touch, in my hair made me gag. I watched Edward, more intrigued with his ability to decipher so easily. His hands hardly brushed the ends of Laura's hair before he took his stationary stance once again.

"Switch!" Celeste called out. I pulled my hair free, wincing as a couple strands were tugged from their roots in Zachary's hands. Laura sneered at me as she walked to her _actual_ boyfriend. I leaned forward, Edward's hands coming up to the crown of my head, massaging my scalp as they gently wove into my locks. His fingers played around in my hair for a few long seconds.

"Soft," He whispered. I could feel my cheeks flush.

"Gentlemen, you know what to do." I stepped back, my eyes finding Alice standing with Jasper. They both grinned. I gave them my best 'what the fuck' look, but they just shrugged their shoulders. "And reveal." I looked back to Edward. 2. He was the only one to get that one right.

"Alright, last one gentleman. Edward has the lead." Celeste cheered. I was shoved back before Zachary. Why?! "The hips." I bit my bottom lip. The hand and hair I could do. My hips? I didn't want anyone on this stage touching my hips, Zachary least of them all. I stepped forward, his greedy hands already at the wait. My face twisted in disgust as he squeezed and groped. I looked to Edward, but he remained with his hands behind his back. Laura was waiting expectedly, her pelvis thrust forward slightly. I suppose the slut was a potentially good standpoint to take on this show.

"Edward you can reach out now." He shook his head, looking over towards Celeste's general direction.

"I'm good." He said softly. She laughed as the crowd oohed. Laura gave him a perfect bitch face stepping back with her arms crossed at her chest.

"So confident! He thinks he knows his lady's presence! I love it." That just didn't make any sense. If he's trying to show off, then he'd better not screw this up. "Switch." I stepped away from Zachary, trying my best to bury that memory forever. Back to Edward I stood, only half expecting him to actually extend his hands out. Maybe there was a hole in his blindfold or something. He grinned, his arms coming from behind him, resting on the curves of my hips. He grasped me tightly, catching me off guard as he tugged me forward. I braced against his chest, pushing slightly. The girls in the crowd squealed excitedly. I knew he wasn't done with me yet.

His hands spun me around so that my back was now pressed against him, his arms coming around to fully encircle me. I looked to Alice. She was laughing too hard to care about my predicament. Jasper's lips were sucked into his mouth, eyebrows high on his forehead. When Edward wanted to be charming, he was the master at it. But I knew that in a few minutes he would be back to his same brooding self.

"Well oh my, let's hope you have the right woman there Edward. I don't think Bella would like that very much otherwise." Celeste prodded. He hummed. "Alright ladies step back." I reached down, doing my best to try and get him to release me, but he was a stubborn bastard. The crowd laughed. They are absolutely eating out of his palms. We might actually be able to pull this shit off. I dug my nails into the backs of his hands, his flinched.

"Ooh, feisty." He muttered. Smart ass.

"Alright boys, you know what to do." The men wrote down the responses. "And reveal!" All the whiteboards flipped. For the first time, everyone got the correct answer. "Woah! A clean sweep. I suppose the tender touch of a lovers hips are the most memorable. Ladies if you would please remove the blindfolds." Why, he could do it himself. I stepped forward, Edward being kind enough to lean his head down, so I could reach easier. I undid the knot, pulling the fabric away from his eyes. He blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands.

"Everyone give a hand to Edward and Bella for winning!" Edward grabbed my hand and raised it into the air as everyone cheered.

"As your reward, the show will be paying for an all-expenses paid weekend at the Lyre Hotel." Re...ward? Hotel stay? I looked over to Alice, she gave me a sheepish smile. She never said one word about rewards! How was I expected to stay in a single hotel room with Edward?! Nope. Not gonna do it. Can't make me.

"We'll be checking in with the love birds this weekend, so be sure to tune in for a Sunday morning at 10 for a special episode." Fuuuuuuuck. This is not what I signed up for.

"That wraps up tonight's episode. We hope that you enjoyed and remember to join us next week at 6 for episode 2 of Through Their Eyes! Goodnight everybody." We all waived, the crowd cheering as the director called cut. There were so many things I needed to sort out, like this whole moving in together thing and how the hell Edward was so adept at knowing my body. But first, I had to kill Alice about this reward situation. My little black haired pixie walked up to me, placing both her hands on my shoulders.

"Calm down." She said quickly. I grit my teeth glancing around. So many people.

"Dressing room, now." She nodded, following obediently behind me with Jasper and Edward taking up the rear. Once inside the secure dressing room, I closed and locked the door.

"Reward Alice!? You neglected to mention that if we actually won this little challenge that we would need to spend the weekend in a hotel together!" I shouted. She groaned rubbing her face.

"I know! I honestly didn't think that you two stood a chance at winning. How was I to know that Edward would know your body so intimately?" My face flamed with embarrassment. That was beside the point.

"It is rather inconvenient. I don't like having my free time sucked up any more than necessary." I shot a glare at him. His annoying composed face further fueling my fire. Did he really just say that? Jasper stepped back putting his hands up. I reeled around onto Edward.

"Oh no! You don't get to say that. Especially not after that little stunt you pulled about the whole moving in together thing. What were you thinking? You bitch and moan regularly about how I'm already a colossal inconvenience on you, but now you've forced a non-existent hand where we have no option but to live together! Is that what you wanted?!" Edward looked away pursing his lips.

"Bella. Calm…down." Jasper cooed softly. I grunted flopping down into the chair. Calm down! Why was I the only sane one here?

"This might not be bad." Alice said softly. I rolled my eyes.

"Enlighten me." I said spreading my arms wide. She sighed looking to Edward.

"While it would've been nice to have been filled in on your plan," He shrugged his shoulders, "it's a good idea." My jaw dropped.

"Good idea?" I asked. She nodded.

"It's best if you two are around one another outside of filming as much as possible. You're going to be popular out in public now." I shook my head.

"That wasn't the deal." I said through gritted teeth. I could see she was getting tired of my little outbursts, but what did she expect? I doubt she would be so inclined to drop her whole life in order to satisfy a bunch of strangers.

"Plus, living with me could become…controversial. It's risky enough that I'm your manager, but living together. People may feel that you're receiving unfair attention. Or worse, that you're cheating with another man." Her concerns were valid, but there had to be another solution besides moving in with Edward.

"My thoughts exactly." He chimed in.

"So what, now I'm moving in with him. How much more Alice?" I'd given so much, and yet she still asked me for more.

"4 months. Just 4 months." I closed my eyes. It's not like I could go back now. What's been said is now set in stone.

"When should I be moved out?" I whispered.

"Edward?" Jasper asked.

"I have some things I need to set up first. After this weekend she can come." I groaned. I'd almost forgotten about that.

"This weekend?" I questioned next.

"You'll be staying in a suite in the hotel tomorrow night. Dinner and breakfast paid by the show. They will film a bit on Saturday night and Sunday morning. A walk down the beach, swim in the pool, dinner, and breakfast. That's all." That's all?! Sounded like a lot to me.

"I'm actually kind of glad that you two won. You're bound to be public's choice. The more we can feature you, the better the views." I couldn't give a shit about their views right now.

"We should give them a second Jasper, come on. Drive me home?" Alice asked. He agreed, grabbing her hand. Once gone, I felt like I was suffocating in the silence. So much had happened, and I felt like I was left with even more questions now than I had before.

"Jasper told me you had gone to the library the night we met. Only a true book lover would actually rent hard copy anymore." I ahed. So he was just talking out of his ass. "You really found the article on me?" I nodded.

"Not that hard. Seeing as you refused to tell me anything, I had to ask Jasper." He smirked shaking his head.

"I was thoroughly impressed with the little story." I was just lucky enough to get out alive. But his lies seemed to roll off the tongue much smoother than mine. It was a little concerning.

"Was it true?" He nodded.

"Yes." Interesting.

"That shit you pulled about the love thing? Are you trying to make me public enemy number one?" His features remained in perfect composure.

"It was a trick question. If a woman answers yes, then they are viewed as wanton and desperate, especially after such a short period of time. But when a man does it, he seems expressive and caring. By withholding your love, the women audience can connect better, and view you with respect. This leaves a window in the future where love can be professed during filming and just push us that much further to the top. It was a calculated decision that _worked_." Of course. He'd stared on enough dramas to speak with some acting expertise. I guess we'd only know with time if it actually works.

"The challenge? Could you see through the blindfold?" He shook his head.

"The perfume." I cocked my head back.

"I don't wear perfume." He nodded.

"Never said yours. That other woman had bathed in it. It was absolutely repulsive." I smirked. Backwards compliment, I'll take it.

"Zachary didn't seem to notice." I shook. And I thought being touched by Edward was bad.

"He was a pervert." I snorted.

"Real rich coming from you. I could hardly get your hands off of me!" His cold face cracked just a bit with a smirk.

"Don't lie sweetheart, you loved it." Granted, it was better than Zachary, but I wouldn't go as far to say that I loved it.

"No siblings?" I continued my barrage of questions.

"I listened." He responded quickly. What does that even mean?

"You're okay with me moving in?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I can arrange an apartment. Then you won't be put out." His head snapped back towards me.

"No, I want you to." I cocked my head. Want me to? "It's already enough of a burden having to leave my house in order to meet with you. It'll be easier to meet for an hour without going out of my way." That sounded a little more in line with what I was expecting. I suppose I purged enough for today. Truthfully, I felt a little better.

"By the way, I'm not a complete slob." He rolled his eyes.

"I saw your car. By the way, living in my house you're going to need to clean up after yourself. I don't do clutter." I guess Jasper wasn't too far off then.

"I don't think you really have much of a say anymore. You've brought this upon yourself." He clicked his tongue annoyed, but didn't say anything more on the matter.

"Did you know about the reward?" He nodded. So why win then? It's not like these challenges really meant anything. All we had to do was bring in the viewers. Not torture ourselves any more than we needed to.

"Jasper mentioned something about it. I didn't quite give him enough mind to really hear out what it was." Perfect, so he was receiving pertinent information while I was remaining in the dark.

"So we have to go there this weekend? Share a room? Basically play the happy couple for two whole days." I asked awkwardly. He nodded.

"So what? We'll be living together soon enough. Consider it your practice." I gahed rolling my eyes.

"Whatever. I call dibs on the bed." His eyes widened.

"Dibs on the bed? What are you 5?" I shrugged my shoulders grabbing my purse and coat.

"Don't care. I called it. Hope they have a couch." I walked past him, opening the door.

"I am not sleeping on a couch. If you don't want to share the bed, then you can sleep on the couch." Someone got a nerve hit. I stuck up a middle finger over my head.

"Then you should've dibs the bed." I answered. I must've stunned him, because he didn't try stalking me out to my car. It felt good shoving it in his face. After being shit on over and over again by him, this time I ended it my way.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I sat in my car in the hotel parking lot, staring at the itinerary Alice had provided me, trying my best to memorize it.

Saturday

\- 11: Check-in and unpack

\- 12: Film crew arrives

\- 1: Lunch in the café

\- 3: Swim in the pool

\- 6: Dinner on the rooftop

\- 7: Watch sunset on the beach

\- 8: Film crew leaves; debrief with Jasper and Alice

Sunday

\- 8: Film crew arrives

\- 9: Breakfast with Celeste

\- 11: Check-out

I took a deep breath. I was unsure whether or not Edward had already arrived. There was an abnormally large crowd standing out front of the main entrance, with a few men in black suits scanning the parking lot. I suppose word got out about our little weekend get-away. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to announce which hotel we would be staying at. The sooner you get inside, the sooner you can get to your room. I grabbed my backpack from the back seat, slinging it over my shoulder. With my sun glasses pulled down over my eyes, I hoped that I would be able to slip by secretly.

"Oh my god, there she is!" A woman shouted pointing at me from across the lot. Well I could hope anyway. The men in suits took off in a run, the pack of fans following like wolves behind them. I stood still, knowing that I wasn't going to be able to really do anything about this now. The men arrived first, two grabbing each arm and the third acting as a buffer as he pushed people aside so that we could walk. The wild flashes were blinding as people tried to get the best shot. I smiled as best as I could, waiving to the fans. I was way out of my element here.

I did my best as papers were shoved at me, requesting autographs. The guards holding my arms, made it exceedingly difficult though. The 3 minute walk turned into a 10 minute fight, as the guards continued to shove me. Edward better get the same damn treatment. Once we finally reached the door, two of the guards remained outside to hold back the people while the third escorted me inside. A man in a stuffy baby blue suit strode over to me, first plucking my backpack off of my shoulder before grabbing both my hands. He was a peculiar little fellow, but the body guard didn't seem to find him as a threat.

"Oh Ms. Swan! So good to finally meet you. My name is Jeremy Riggs, the manager of this hotel. We are honored to host you this weekend, please follow me." The manager? One promo and an episode, and now I was a real life celebrity. Others may have loved receiving this level of attention, but I preferred remaining in the shadows.

We approached the front desk, the girl sitting behind the counter someone I had the pleasure to meet one before. Karma is most certainly a bitch. I smiled widely. Her realization took a few second, the smile faltering as the connection had been made. Eat your heart out sweet.

"Please check Ms. Swan in. I'm going to find her an escort to her room. I look forward to seeing you at lunch." My mouth flapped as he practically ran away, my possessions still on his back. Well, alright then. The woman clicked away at her keyboard, doing her best to avoid eye contact. I leaned against the counter, watching her fumbled around her desk trying to find my room key and appropriate documentation.

"Thank you for choosing to stay with the Lyre hotel. We hope that you have a wonderful experience and feel free to call the front desk whenever you may need something. I'll be more than happy to assist you." I smiled reaching across to grab the key and papers.

"Thank you so much! And I will." She faltered in hiding her scowl. I winked walking away. A bell boy came running out of a hallway, coming up to greet me.

"Please Miss, follow me." I obeyed, following him to the elevator. The door slid open and I stepped inside, surprised that the bodyguard remained by my side. I looked up to his serious face. Guess he took this job seriously. The man inserted a key into the elevator panel before pressing the 24th floor button. I suppose we wouldn't have to worry about some crazed fans sneaking their way up onto our floor for a peek. The ascent made my ears pop the higher we went, the thought of being so high in the air made me nauseous. While staying in the suite sounded luxurious, I doubted this feeling would subside until we left.

When the door slid back open, I felt my legs turn to Jell-O, my mind knowing I was up high even without seeing it. I took small steps behind the bellboy, walking past large windows which overlooked the resort. A pool side bar, small café, lounge chairs, and a beautiful view of the beach and cresting ocean.

"Just up here maim." He motioned to the door which matched the number on my key. I blushed putting up a hand. He looked like he was my age. I did not need to be called maim.

"Please, just call me Bella." I said kindly. He looked away embarrassed. I walked up to the door, holding the key in my hand. I reached forward to slide it into the reader, but the door was pulled open quickly. I jumped back in shock.

"What the fu," My eyes widened and quickly averted as the blood rushed to my head. Oh no. Just a towel. God he was ripped. "Edward, why are you naked?" I asked, trying my best to keep focused on the stone faced guard.

"Nothing to be shy about sweetheart, come here. I've been waiting for you." Kill me. I cleared my throat, tipping my head to the bellboy first and then the guard. I kept my eyes up, being sure to keep it face level. Edward was quick to grab my arm, tugging me to his hip. The feeling of his cool bare skin made me shiver. I hover wrapped an arm around his waist, not wanting to create anymore contact than necessary.

"Thank you for all your help. I really appreciate it. We need to go and get ready for lunch now." I suggested gently. They both nodded and turned leaving us alone in the doorway. Once they rounded the bend I shoved Edward hard away from me and stalked into the room. I placed my hands up on either side of my face as blockers in case I saw something I'd later regret.

The entrance way dropped down to the living room, where a large leather sectional faced a flat screen TV and fireplace. Large sliding glass windows overlooked the ocean. To the right was the full kitchen and breakfast nook. Something I doubted we would get to use. And to the right was the bedroom. I walked in that direction, finding my backpack sitting on the king sized bed, beside it, was I was assuming to be, Edward's suitcase. I don't know why he brought such a large piece of luggage for only two days.

There were more large windows, and a balcony with a few chairs outside. I looked to the back of the room where the master bathroom sat. There was a full shower, separated toilet, and even a Jacuzzi. I wonder if I would be able to convince Edward to leave so I could try that out. Edward came walking into the room his hand fisting the knot of his towel at his hip. I turned quickly, shaking my head.

"What the fuck was that?" If he could just try once to not make me look like a hussy, that would be great! I listened as the zipper to his suitcase peeled down the track.

"I needed to shower. And you're acting as though you've never seen a naked man before." I rolled my eyes.

"Typically there's a mutual desire there. And you shouldn't be answering the door like that." I listened to his clothes rustle, waiting for him to indicate that he was clothed and decent. So damn stubborn. Couldn't act normal for one day.

"Well you shouldn't be flirting with the bellhop." My eyes widened. Flirt…with the bellhop?

"You've lost your god damn mind! He called me maim, like I was his mother. I told him to call me Bella. Hardly grounds for convicting me of adultery." I was grabbed by the shoulder and spun quickly. I pinched my eyes shut. Someone was in a cheeky mood today.

"I'm decent." I slowly opened one eye, first seeing his serious face. I glanced down and sighed. "Lesson two, stop being so naïve. One ounce of affection can easily be twisted into something more for those people." I shoved his chest, breaking the hold on my shoulder. Typical.

"Save it. Just because you view the world as some malicious hell hole, doesn't mean I have to. One of us has to appeal to the public and I doubt that it's going to be you." I snapped. He shook his head walking back into the living room. So frustrating. One kind word and he's on my ass about being unfaithful. I shuffled through my backpack, pulling out my swimsuit, cover up and dress hanging them in the closet beside Edward's dress shirt and pants. I glanced down at my outfit, jeans and a black shirt. While I felt a bit plain in comparison to the millionaires I was going to be dining with, I'm sure that the hotel manager could care less so long as his hotel was plastered throughout the special.

I walked back out into the living room, sitting down on the couch, trying my best to recoup from the hectic morning. Perhaps this was just something Edward had gotten used to, but for me it was exhausting.

"How did you fare getting into the hotel? That mob was aggressive." I asked, looking over to the kitchen where Edward was pouring himself a coffee. He smirked.

"I came in the back door. Jasper gave me a heads up." I slit my eyes. Jasper? Damn you Alice! She planned that! Evil little pixie.

"Of course he did." If we're being honest, I knew that I wasn't the one those people wanted to see. I'm sure that if Edward had been out there with me, I wouldn't have needed the protection detail.

"Are you packed?" I scrunched up my face, glancing to the room.

"Maybe not to the extent of your highness, but yes. I have what I need to get me through the weekend." He looked at me annoyed. "What?!" I snapped sitting up.

"I meant to move in on Monday. Remember?" Oh right. That. Couldn't I be allowed to only worry about one thing at a time?

"Yes. For the most part. I have some last minute things that I need to take care of, but I'll be set to go." He sipped on his coffee. It smelt good. "Can you pour me a cup?" He gave me a distant stare.

"I'm not your butler." He retorted.

"Oh trust me, if you were my butler my toilet would _sparkle_." Too early to deal with his shit. I stood up, but a knock at the door stopped me from continuing my mission. I walked up to the door, doing my preliminary check through the peephole first. Unlatching the lock I pulled the door open. Jasper came in first, Alice in tow with a large suitcase in her hands. I followed behind them as Jasper walked into the kitchen to meet with Edward.

"Didn't know you were staying at the hotel too Alice." I commented. She rolled her eyes.

"It's not for me. It's for you." I looked at the bag shaking my head. She walked into the bedroom, setting the luggage down on the bed.

"I have my things Alice." She laughed flipping open the bag's lid. Within were dozens of outfits and swim suits. Oh no. This was supposed to be a _relaxing_ weekend, not a fashion show.

"You can't wear _that_ to lunch first of all. And you need to represent our sponsors." I groaned sinking down into a chair. Why me? "This," she plucked out a white sun dress, "will be your lunch outfit. "This," a bikini which hardly covered my parts "for the swim."

"Alice, that is not my style." She giggled continuing to pull out clothing, accessories, and stylizing products.

"You don't have a style anymore. Your style is whatever we put you in. Just think of it like I'm giving you a makeover." I shuddered. Hours of torture at the hands of Alice. I could do without. "This," A short dark blue strapless dress, "is for dinner. And this," a white button down shirt, dark jeans, and a long tan sweater, "is for walking on the beach." Did I really need to have an outfit for 10 minutes? She continued showing me a white tank top and black parachute pants for breakfast and a blue sweater with black shorts for the interview. 24 hours and I was about to make more outfit changes than I do in a week.

"Oh…no pajamas?" I figured she would want me camera ready at all hours of the day and night. She snorted.

"I could care less what you wear when you sleep. Be naked for all I care." I blushed. I didn't intend on getting naked at any point this weekend. I'd already begun planning a showering schedule at my apartment just so that I wouldn't have to at Edward's. Alice continued unpacking the bag, placing hair products, makeup, and jewelry on the counter in the bathroom.

"Grab me a cup of coffee Bel, then I need to start on your hair and makeup." I stood up, slugging off towards the kitchen.

"Yes master," I mumbled. Jasper and Edward were talking in hushed voices at the dining table when I entered, then all conversation stopped. I paused looking at the two. Jasper grinned and Edward skulked.

"Real secretive gentlemen." I said as I poured out two cups of coffee. I walked back towards the bedroom, their whispers reaching my ears as I departed. Whatever.

Alice drank her coffee deeply, while I sipped on mine. How she managed to take that magma into her mouth was outstanding. She started pulling on my hair, twisting and curling it into a half up, half down hairdo. Once done with the hair, she worked on the makeup, keeping it natural with a little foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and light lip gloss. She helped ease me into the sun dress, being sure to avoid making contact with my hair or face. Lastly she pulled out a pair of flip flops, the only piece of clothing that I felt comfortable wearing.

"We need to get moving." Alice shouted shoving me towards the living room. Jasper and Edward convened their little meeting, joining us. Jasper awed.

"Beautiful Alice." I looked away embarrassed, rubbing my hands down the length of the dress.

"I know she is." She winked at me. Edward sighed walking forward, holding out an arm to me. I placed one hand in the crook of his elbow.

"Jeremy is going to meet with you at the café. Your food had already been ordered, so just try to enjoy it. Our crew is set up downstairs, but they're mostly going to be taking still shots and candid footage. If people come up to you, be polite but don't let them linger for too long. This is supposed to be about you two after all." Alice rattled off the plan, as I did my best to try and remember it.

"Alice and I will be there as well to ensure that things are going smoothly. Smile. You're in love. You're at a luxurious hotel. And if all things go well, we might not have to pay to hold our socials here ever again." I snorted. Jasper, always the level headed one. Alice blew me a kiss and towed Jasper out of the room behind her. I took a deep breath, doing my best to expel my nervous energy.

Jeremy met us at the entrance of the café. A few camera flashes from within told me that the crew was ready to catch every last moment of this experience. I shook Jeremy's hand first, following by Edward.

"Please come, we have a table reserved right beside the window!" I nodded, remaining beside Edward as we walked across the dining room. People would turn and gawk as others whispered with smiles on their faces. I sat facing the window, Edward to my right and Jeremy across from us. I did my best to keep the conversation flowing, talking about the beauty of his hotel and how wonderful of an experience we'd had thus far. Whenever Edward was directed a question, he would remain quiet forcing me to answer for him. I was doing my best, but you could only say the word 'happy' in so many different ways. It would be nice if I didn't have to do this on my own.

When the food arrived, I thought that I would be blessed with a paucity in conversation, but the attention turned away from the atmosphere to the food. Jeremy wanted to hear me say every positive thing I could so long as the cameras were rolling.

A few courageous people mustered up the courage to come over and speak with us, fortunately they were nothing like the vultures outside. They were polite, asked for a couple pictures, an autograph and returned to their own tables. What should've been a 40 minute lunch, turned into an hour and a half Jeremy show. When 2: 30 rolled around I thought it best that we make our way back up to the room, hoping I could save my hide from Alice's wrath.

"Thank you so much for the lovely meal Jeremy. Edward and I are going to go and check out the pool." He stood, a light flush coming to his face. Did no one think that maybe he should receive a copy of the itinerary as well?

"Of course! Please, enjoy our beautiful pool. Feel free to take as many pictures as you would like." Like you would want anything else. I stood, tapping Edward's shoulder, seeming to snap him out of a mindless stupor. He stood. Jeremy shook both our hands before we made our way back to the elevators. When the doors closer I slumped against the wall, my back aching from keeping such an upright posture.

"Thanks for all the help." I griped. Edward shrugged his shoulders.

"Didn't have anything to say." Like I did?! Every word which came out of my mouth was adlibbed. I've never felt like so much like a puppet in my life.

"We have to be down at the pool in 20 minutes." He nodded without a word. I wasn't sure what was worse, silent Edward or bitchy Edward.

The elevator doors open, my heart jumping from my chest seeing Alice and Jasper waiting for us. Alice snatched up my hand and pulled me down the hallway.

"Cutting it close, don't you think?" I rolled my eyes. Not today Alice. I did not need this today. Back in the room, I was instructed to strip from my dress and put on the suit and cover up. The feeling of being so exposed didn't usually make me so anxious, but knowing that these images were going to be all over the country by Monday, did. Who know what sickos were going to do with them in their homes? I shuddered at the thought. My hair had been pulled back into a tight pony tail, so tight I feared my face would be ripped from my skull.

Once we were finished, Edward took over the room, shutting the door behind him. Within a few seconds he reemerged in a pair of plain blue swim trunks and a black wife beater. Simple but sexy. His arms were well defined and toned. When he was wearing something more than a towel, it was easier to acknowledge.

"Alright go!" She shoved me towards the door, causing me to stumble. I looked back over my shoulder with a scowl.

"I will get you." My threat not even denting her peppy shell. Edward walked past me out into the hallway, not bothering to even walk by my side. I don't know what I was expecting, but with such a popular hotel I figured that the pool would be swarming with residents and fans alike. But save a few people at the bar, the camera crew, and of course Jeremy, the pool and deck was relatively clear. There was a pair of lounge chairs seated under an umbrella, a towel folded at the foot of each.

Without hesitation Edward's shirt was removed, his rippled back the last thing I saw as he dove head first into the water. I sighed sitting down on the lounger, resting my head on the scratchy weatherproof pillow. Edward broke the surface, his hands coming up to slick his hair back. He could put Hollister models to shame. He glanced to me and quirked an eyebrow, I blushed from getting caught staring. He turned away continuing to swim laps in the pool lazily. A women dressed in a black cover up, big floppy black hat and sunglasses sat down in the right most lounger on my left.

"You need to get in that water." I jumped from hearing Alice's commanding voice, glancing around in confusion. What the hell? "Now." I slowly turned to the source of the voice, the woman in black.

"Alice?" I muttered. Her lips were turned down into a frown. "What are you doing?" She huffed turning towards me.

"Get in the pool." I groaned looking to the water. The lower half of Edward's face was submerged in the water as he looked up at me. Even without seeing his lips, I knew he was smirking.

"I don't want to." I said defiantly. If she was going undercover, there wasn't a whole lot she could do with all the people and cameras watching.

"Oh, you saw a question mark at the end of that sentence?" She snapped back gritting her teeth. I looked away, resuming my leisurely position.

"Oh sweetheart!" I moaned. No. Why can't they just leave me alone?! I looked up to Edward who was standing with his arms out of the water extended towards me. "You should really join me, the water is the perfect temperature." I smiled nodding slowly. So he couldn't manage to say three words during breakfast, but now he was Mr. Chatterbox. I glanced to Alice, a wicked smile gracing her lips as she stood and made her way back towards the bar.

One quick dip in the pool, and then I would come back to the lounger and remain here until 5:00. I stood, sliding off the slip, Edward's eyes doing a quick assessment of my bare body. That better have been for the cameras. I strode over to the pools edge, sitting down to drop my legs in first. I sighed. It _was_ the perfect temperature.

Edward came up to me, looking up at me through his eyelashes as small droplets of pool water clung to the hairs. I swallowed hard looking away. It was so much easier to hate him when he was talking.

"Get in, or I'm going to make you get in." His tone joking but the words true. I grunted lifting myself up with my hands before dropping into the water at his side. I hadn't expected it to be quite so deep, my toes struggling to keep my head above the water's surface. He huffed, reaching around my waist taking most of my weight onto him. I stiffened unprepared for so much skin contact.

"I can swim." I said sweetly. He chuckled pulling me away from the pool's edge, the ground becoming entirely out of my reach as it curved down in the center. My hands grasped his shoulders tightly.

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let my girlfriend drown?" I rolled my eyes. At least I wouldn't have to pay to break the contract then. He swam effortlessly in the center, keeping me tight to his chest. Alice, back in her standard professional dress, was beaming happily from the sidelines.

Now what?

"Want to play a game?" Edward asked. I looked up. Was he serious?

"You've got to be kidding me." Now who was acting 5? He shook his head.

"I'll be it first." His arms released me unexpectedly, my head dunking beneath the water before my legs remembered to kick. I came back up, his eyes now closed. "Marco." I pursed my lips.

"We are not playing Marco Polo." He lunged forward, and in childish reflex, I pulled away. "Edward, stop." I tried to sound serious, but this rare lightheartedness was making it difficult. He lunged again, this time I swam a little further away.

"Marco." He called again, twisting his head around. I remained silent. "I can't hear you." He joked. Some of the onlookers chuckling softly. I rolled my eyes. Fine. I guess it beat embracing awkwardly while everyone watched.

"Polo." I responded with a laugh. He turned in my direction swimming forward. I was surprised with how well I managed to evade him, it had been a long time since I played, but like riding a bike, it had been engrained in my brain. Back in the deep end of the pool, he'd managed to catch my ankle, causing me to be it. Popping his eyes back open, he laughed. I stared at him in astonishment. That was the first time I heard him laugh.

"You're it." I grinned, obediently closing my eyes, the sounds of water splashing intensified in my ears.

"This is going to be a long game. I'm not very good at being it." He hummed softly. To my left.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine." Taking a page from his book, I propelled myself in his direction, feeling only the collapse of water on my hands caused by a quick moving person. "Oh! Sneaky." He whispered, the sound of him swimming away causing me to come after him as I continued to call out Marco.

As I had predicted, I felt like I was it for hours. Every time I thought I had him cornered, he would always manage to slip away. I found myself back in the deep end, trying my hardest to listen but he's gone incredibly quiet. I kept my hands at my sides, trying to feel for any indicative waves.

"Marco." I called softly, my ear twitching for his reply.

"Polo." His response a whisper in my ear. I spun, my hands skimming across the flesh of his chest. Finally! I opened my eyes, momentarily shocked by just how close his smiling face was to mine. So much sprint swimming had made me flustered, but I was sure that I was like a cherry by now.

"Got ya." I giggled. He nodded.

"Took you long enough." He winked. My heart thundered in my chest. I cleared my throat, propelling myself backwards, but Edward swam in pace with me.

"That was fun." He nodded continuing to follow me. "We probably…have to…um…get going to dinner soon." He hummed in agreement. I oofed as my back rammed up against the pool's edge. His arms came up on either side of my head, only the thinnest sliver of water separating our chests. He leaned down slightly, his head cocked in a curious manner. I tracked his eyes as they looked from my hair to my ears and then my nose and finally my lips. My mouth went incredibly dry. What is he doing?

"Can I get you anything to drink?" I jumped startled, whipping my head around to see Jeremy crouching behind us.

Oh thank God.

"Damn it!" I could hear Alice shout from across the pool deck. I shook my head quickly. What almost just happened? Felt too real to be acting.

"No, thank you. We should be getting ready for dinner." Jeremy nodded standing back up. Edward huffed, and I could feel him pull away leaving me in the pool as he dried off. I felt like I could breathe again. I propped myself up onto the edge of the pool, the ocean breeze raising goose flesh across my skin. I watched Edward dry, tying the towel around his waist before walking back towards the hotel without so much as a glance. Jasper followed in after him as Alice came walking towards me.

Returning to my lounger, I grabbed the towel and started to pat myself dry. Alice came to my side, being abnormally silent as she just stared at me. I huffed turning around to her.

"What?" I snapped. She put up her hands innocently.

"I should be asking you the same thing." I grunted slipping the cover back on as I stepped past her. The pool was quick to fill up with guests, now that we were done. I guess the show didn't want the perfect shot to be missed.

Too bad they didn't factor in Jeremy.

"Hold up!" She shouted jogging after me. I crossed my arms over my chest as the air conditioned interior caressed my skin. She joined me once again, riding up the elevator beside me in silence. Back in the room I was both grateful and disappointed to see it free of Edward.

I stripped out of the wet suit, hanging it up in the bathroom, warming myself in one of the hotel's fluffy robes. I glanced to the clock. In one hour I would have to face him again. What do I even say? Pretend like it didn't happen? Yeah. It was for the show. I sat down at the vanity, Alice walking up behind me tentatively. I huffed.

"Spit it out." I barked. She smirked walking up behind me, beginning the job of conditioning and untangling my hair. I would shower if I had time. But I don't think any of us were anticipating we would be down at the pool for so long. My hands and feet were sore and wrinkled having been submerged under water for so long.

"Either that was the greatest acting I've ever bore witness to or," she paused meeting my eyes in the mirror. I shook my head.

"Or nothing." I answered. It was nothing. That was nothing. We were having fun and for a moment we were allowed the privilege to forget that we were being filmed. Edward, probably having realized this, thought that it would be a good time to bring it back from childish games to the show. He probably saw Jeremy coming and knew that we were going to be interrupted well before things went too far.

But why did he seem so pissed off? I mentally slapped myself.

Who cares?! He's been nothing short of an asshole to me this entire time. So we had fun for a few minutes, so what?!

"Whatever you say Bella." I took a deep breath as Alice continued her task. She brushed and curled my hair, before pinning it up into a loose bun. The make-up was pretty much the same, except my lips popped with a dark red shade. I slid on the dress, and while it was not something I would typically choose for myself, it made my ass and boobs look good. The look was finished off with a pair of dangling sapphire earrings and a matching pendant.

I looked great, so why did I feel so lousy?

"We should get going. Jasper said that Edward is already waiting." I nodded following Alice out to the elevator


	6. Chapter 6

The top floor was round, walls replaced with windows to give guests a 360 views of the city and beach. That queasy feeling inevitably returned, being able to see how high up we were. The host at the front greeted us and escorted me back to a corner of the dining room. Facing away from us, I could see the back of Edward's head.

"Right here Miss." I smiled and nodded in thanks. Edward looked over his shoulder, the scowl I've grown used to back in place. I frowned. He stood from his seat and pulled back my chair. I sat down. He was wearing the same suit he wore in the promo. That seemed like such a long time ago.

I picked up my menu and tried my best to figure out what the foreign names correlated to in food language. Salad was the only thing I could seem to understand so that was going to have to be good enough until tomorrow.

"You look nice." My stomach flipped. I looked up over the top of the menu to Edward. Did he just compliment me?

"Huh?" He rolled his eyes.

"Never mind." He quipped. I set the menu down.

"I mean I'm sorry. Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself." He didn't respond save a little smirk.

"I'd be happy to take your orders." A waitress walked up, looking only at Edward. I smirked shaking my head. If he'd learn how not be so bipolar, he'd probably be much more popular with the ladies.

"Ladies first," He said softly keeping his eyes on the menu. The waitress reluctantly turned her attention to me.

"Diet coke please and a cobb salad." She wrote it down quickly looking back to Edward.

"Sparkling water and a shrimp alfredo." Always with the sparkling water. I didn't know how he could stand the stuff. It tasted absolutely terrible. She nodded excitedly as she wrote.

"I'd be more than happy to get that for you. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask." I snorted at her desperation. She gave me a quick glare before stomping off. Edward set down his menu, turning to look out over the beach. It was odd sitting in silence now. We'd had a lot of fun earlier, I was hoping that this was moving closer to a friendship but he didn't seem as inclined to meet me half way. I sighed.

"I had fun today. You actually managed to get my mind off the show for a little while. You are a pretty good actor." I said softly. He nodded slowly.

"Who said I was acting?" He answered. I pursed my lips.

"Sorry. Just thought that Jasper had given you the idea or something." He sighed looking back over to me. What was with the attitude?

"Remember, I don't take orders from other people. I do what I want." I nodded putting up a defensive hand.

"Right. Again sorry." I huffed looking out the window. When I tried to be nice, I was rewarded with disdain. And this wasn't even the end of it. We still had to do the walk on the beach after.

Again silence engulfed us. Food please hurry up.

"It's a beautiful view." He made a noise in agreement.

"I could show you better." I turned back around.

"Yeah?" I asked. He nodded. "Like where?" Let's just talk about something, anything. He pursed his lips, looking away in thought.

"There's a small place in Paris that gives the best view of the Eiffel tower during Christmas when it's lit up at night." My eyes widened. Did he just say Paris?

"Paris?" I clarified. He nodded.

"In Spain, a small café rests atop a cliff side overlooking the beach there. I think that's my most favorite." Spain?! Who was this guy? I know you can make decent money working in television, but I had yet to earn enough in order to feel comfortable taking an international trip to Europe.

"You've been to Spain too?" He smirked.

"Many times. I am particularly fond of that country."

"How many countries _have_ you traveled to?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Couldn't tell you. I've traveled my entire life whenever I've gotten the chance." For someone to have experienced so much, he didn't seem too thrilled about it.

"I'm jealous. I wish I could've gotten the chance to travel when I was younger. I can't imagine the things you've seen." He shook his head.

"It wasn't that noteworthy. I would often travel alone, so the memories are mine only. It hard to really appreciate it like that." A weight fell onto my heart. He seemed so…sad. But I agreed with him. I wouldn't want to experience it by myself. There's so much more meaning when you can experience the world with someone. "You still have plenty of time. You'll travel." My face scrunched. I opened my mouth to ask more, but the waitress returned inserting herself into the conversation. Edward's face re-hardened. She set my dish down first, followed by my drink.

Yup, that was a cobb salad. But for nearly 30 dollars it better taste good. "How does it look?" The young blonde cooed. I looked over to Edward's dish. Shrimp alfredo, my eyes squinted at something beneath the noodles. Red? Edward reached for his fork, going to stab into the pasta. I reached over quickly snatching his wrist with my hand, halting his movements. His eyes snapped up. I reached my own fork over, shoving some of the pasta aside. Beneath the noodles and sauce, a few cherry tomatoes had been added to the dish. I plucked up the plate and turned to the annoyed waitress with a smile.

"I'm sorry, but can you please bring him another dish without the tomatoes? He's allergic." The woman's eyes bugged as she quickly snatched it from my hand. She nodded quickly skittering back towards the kitchen. I sighed setting my fork back down, waiting for him to receive his food before I started eating.

"Well that would've been bad." I joked softly, looking over to Edward. His lips were parted slightly, his eyes looking at me awe struck.

"How did you know?" I chuckled.

"I listened." Echoing his own words back to him. He hummed leaning back, and again I was graced with his gentle smile. It was Jeremy who returned this time with Edward's food. He looked like a drowned cat, huffing panicked.

"I'm so sorry," Edward put up a hand silencing him. I leaned over grinning.

"It's alright. We didn't know there were tomatoes in the pasta, so we didn't ask to have them withheld. No harm." He tipped his head, eyes trained on Edward as he shoved the pasta around with his fork, checking for any of the poisonous red bombs.

"Is there anything I can get for you? I feel terrible. No charge. Dessert perhaps?" I shook my head.

"We're fine. The lady saved me before it was too late." Jeremy took a deep sigh placing a hand on my shoulder. Imagine the news article for that one, '_Hotel food nearly kills TV heartthrob_.'

"You have a keen eye Ms. Swan. You're lucky to have such an attentive girlfriend." Edward nodded, twisting the pasta around the tines of his fork.

"I know I am." He said sincerely looking up to me. I blushed. Jeremy walked away, as we finally were able to eat. The salad was good, but nothing extraordinary. I bet the food in Paris or Spain was better.

"Here." I looked up, nearly shoving my nose into a fork full of pasta in the process. Edward's arm was extended towards me, he shook the food. "It's not the greatest, but it's decent. It's got to be better than the salad." Probably not wrong. I went to reach for the fork, but he pulled his hand back. I cocked my head. He pushed it forward again.

"Really?" I muttered. He smirked. I sighed dropping my hands to my lap, leaning forward to take the fork into my mouth, his eyes remaining trained on my lips. I pulled the food free, chewing slowly. I moaned.

"I should've gotten that!" I gushed, covering my mouth as I spoke. He chuckled.

"Next time then." I quirked an eyebrow. Next time huh?

"Oh my god, Bella Swan. What are the odds running into you here?" Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact everyone and their mother knew we were going to be here this weekend. Please kill me. Edward turned back to his food, averting his eyes. I turned to my right, looking up. Lauren was wearing a standard black cocktail dress, with a slit going up her right thigh. Her left hand was holding onto a martini glass.

"Lauren! What are you doing here?" She smiled batting her eyelashes, looking over to Edward. While I didn't so much care the first time, this time I was annoyed. We did not need this publicity right now.

"I'm here with my family on business. Edward, it's so good seeing you again." That sultry tone returning as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at it, shifting so it fell away. I chuckled. At least his unreachably high standards pertained to all aspects of his life.

"Sweetheart, you'd better eat if we want to have enough time to walk on the beach for the sunset." I nodded, looking back at Lauren. She continued to give me that bitchy grin. Get the fucking hint already.

"It was good seeing you again Lauren." She nodded.

"Right. I'll leave then." I'm not sure what happened next. She turned to walk away, but in the worst act off false sincerity she faltered a step, simultaneously falling into Edward's lap while flinging the contents of her martini onto the front of my dress. I gasped freezing as I looked down.

"Oh no! I am," Edward shoved her off of him, probably a bit harder than necessary but the message had been received. She stood back up in a huff, crossing her arms. I could see commotion ripple across the dining hall as camera crew members, guests and staff all watched on in abject horror. Alice started towards us, I'm sure to rip off Lauren's head, but I put up a hand stopping her. Edward stood glaring the offending woman down.

"Are you alright Lauren?" I asked quickly before Edward was able to get a word out. He turned his harsh eyes onto me, appalled by my sentiment. She blinked back at me in shock. I did not need any of our people stooping to her level. It was a Martini. The worst damage she's done is to this dress.

"Oh I can't believe I've done that. If you want to go change Bella, I can stay here and keep Edward company for you." I smiled looking up to Edward. He shook his head slowly. He must've thought I was an idiot if he really believed I would leave her here with him. Especially after that little stunt.

"No, that's not necessary. No reason to get worked up over a spilled martini. Right?" He took a deep calming breath. "Give me your jacket…please?" Without an ounce of hesitation his fingers worked at undoing the buttons on his front, his arms sliding free of the garment before handing it over to me. I slid it on, over my dress and closed it around me. While it practically swallowed my comparatively small frame, it smelt divine. I glanced to Edward's seat, he sat down.

"I really do wish we could talk more Lauren, but we really need to finish our meals so we don't miss our walk." She clicked her tongue, taking a graceful step back.

"Of course. Until next time." I nodded waiving her off. I looked down at my salad, well at least her aim hit the intended mark. I picked up my fork and resumed eating.

"What the fuck was that?" I nearly choked looking up at Edward's enraged face. Did he just say fuck? I chewed and swallowed my food quickly.

"What was what?" I asked quieter, hoping he would lower his own voice. He motioned in the general direction where Lauren had disappeared. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't give her any thought, so neither should you. She's trying to hurt my pride. I'm not going to let her. You shouldn't either." He grunted shaking his head.

"You didn't need to be so nice to her. She didn't deserve it." I chuckled.

"If I gave her the reaction she was looking for, it only would've served to satisfy her and make us look bad with everyone watching." I took another stab at my salad.

"I don't understand how you can be so forgiving." I could understand his frustrations, but it's not like he was the one who was soaking wet right now.

"Who said I forgave her?" He smirked. "Besides, when someone acts out like that, there's typically an underlying reason for it. If I judged everyone off of first impressions alone, then I think I would've missed out on getting to know you." He huffed, looking away.

"Don't know why you bother." That made two of us.

"Well I think that there's more beneath that frosty exterior of yours. And where I really hated you when we first met, I don't feel like that anymore." Although there certainly were times I thought I did. He seemed like an impossible person to get along with at first, but slowly I've learned how to better deal with him.

"How _do_ you feel?" I shrugged my shoulders looking up. Interesting question. How did I feel? My annoying brother? Or perhaps a frustrating friend?

"I," I started but our bubble was popped by the poorly timed appearance of my manger.

"Are you alright?" She asked, sliding the jacket open to assess the damage. I nodded.

"I'm fine. Just a little soggy." She huffed.

"I'm going to kill that bitch." She threatened, Edward coughed out a laugh. She looked to him and grinned. "I'm serious. That bitch has been on my shit list for years. Had I saw her walk in, she would've never gotten close to you two. I'm sorry Bel, and to you too Edward."

"Thanks Al. Do we need to get heading off?" She frowned, but nodded.

"Yeah, but if you want to forego the walk, I get it. I think you've both earned a say." I hummed, tipping my head side to side thoughtfully.

"What do you say Edward? Would you like to go on a romantic stroll on the beach with me?" He puckered his lips.

"So long as you call off your dibs on the bed." I scowled. That. That, right there. This is a moment where I want nothing more than to maim him. Alice giggled.

"You called dibs on the bed. What are you, 5?" I rolled my eyes standing up.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." The two of them would get along great if their personalities weren't so polar opposite.

"Fine! I rescind my dibs. Ass." He stood.

"You have a deal then. Shall we?" He held an arm out to me which I grabbed.

"Oh no! She's not going out there in that soaked dress. She needs to change." Alice commanded, grabbing my other. Edward rolled his eyes. I really was not in the mood for another costume change. Besides, Edward's jacket was comfortable.

Think.

"Alice, wait." I said softly. She quirked an eyebrow.

"What?" I looked down motioning to my body.

"You don't think a girlfriend wearing her boyfriend's suit jacket is cute? Especially after the little stunt pulled by Lauren?" She bit her lip, looking me up and down. She nodded slowly.

"You're not wrong. The dress won't bother you though?" I shook my head. It had pretty much dried off by this point anyway.

"I'll be fine. Do you want to change though?" I looked to Edward. He shook his head.

"No point in dirtying another outfit." With that settled, Edward and I made our exit.

The crew followed us through the hotel and out onto the beach. Even though they kept a pretty good distance, it was still hard pretending to be unaware to their presence. I remained curled up in the jacket, thankful that it shielded me from some of the wind. Edward kept his arm around my shoulders, walking in step with me. For the first time, I didn't feel this incessant urge to try and fill the space between us with conversation.

The sunset was breathtaking. Hues of orange and red mixed together in the sky, creating a painting that the greats themselves couldn't have reproduced. I carried my shoes in my hands, allowing my feet to splash through the shallow waters. Edward walked parallel to me, his hands tucked behind his back.

"Come sit with me?" Edward asked, slowing his pace. I nodded walking back to join him, the sand sticking to my feet. We sat down, far enough away from the tide line. I buried and unburied my toes in the sand, amused by how much they looked like little snails popping up though the surface. "Place your head on my shoulder." He whispered. I glanced over my shoulder discreetly, the camera crew now crouching down on a sand hill about 100 feet back. I obeyed. Edward tipped his head against mine, wrapping his arms around his bent knees.

"How long do you think we should sit here?" I asked.

"We'll give them 10 minutes." I nodded. Fair enough. "What's the history between Lauren and you?" I groaned. She wasn't exactly what I wanted to be thinking about right now.

"You're telling me that you're actually interested?"

"No. I'm not. I just figured we needed to talk about something instead of sitting here awkwardly. Besides, I think you owe me an explanation seeing as your friend assaulted me." I sat up, shoving his arm gently.

"She's not my friend." He nodded.

"So then what is she?" I turned away, looking down at the sand as I traced my fingertips in circles.

"She's a girl I went to high school with. I guess you could consider her as running with the 'in' crowd. I, on the other hand, was not. Per our last interaction, she claims that she was jealous of me. Said I was too smart and that all the boys wanted me." Edward ahed.

"Got it. So she's found out about this new role of yours and she wants it." I nodded.

"If I had to guess, that's exactly her plan."

"Well don't worry sweetheart, her fake nose has nothing on your natural beauty." I rolled my eyes. It didn't take much to hear the sarcasm. Lauren may have a rotten core, but she had a gorgeous red ruby skin.

"Thanks." I grumbled. He nudged me with his shoulder.

"I know that I'm an ass sometimes, but I mean that. She couldn't hold a flame to you." The balls of my cheeks warmed.

"Thank you." I whispered with a bit of sincerity. He looked down at his watch, and stood wiping his hands on his pants. I looked up.

"Come on. We've done our jobs. Time to get some rest." I grasped his extended hand, but the force with which he pulled me to my feet was unexpected. I collided with his chest and oofed.

"Was that necessary?" I groaned, my breasts sore from the impact. He hummed wrapping his arms around my waist. I stiffened. "What are you doing?"

"Relax and don't move." I shoved him weakly, trying not to make my resistance obvious to the cameras. "I said, stop moving." He commanded. Why did he have to keep flying off the cusp like this? If just maybe he let me in on his little plans ahead of time, I could try to better prepare myself. He dipped his head down, his lips capturing the center of my forehead with his lips. I squeaked in shock. "Don't…move." He mumbled through his lips. I grabbed onto his arms tightly. I could see a few flashes off in the distance. He pulled away.

"Good?" I asked. He nodded grabbing my hand in his, intertwining out fingers. We started walking back, the hotel's lights acting as the only beacon to guide us on the dark beach. As we approached the crew, they stood and greeted us kindly. One of the assistants stepped forward to address us.

"Great day you two! We're done for tonight. We'll be back in the morning for the interview. Be sure to get your rest. Try not to stay up all night." He winked. I yanked on Edward's hand as he chuckled.

"No promises." Edward responded. I smacked his arm. He needed to stop encouraging them.

The hotel had cleared out for the most part, leaving only a few late night check-ins and a few staff members. Assuming we were safe from any prying eyes, I pulled my hand free from Edward's. We still a night confined to a room together, I didn't want to push his resolve too far. But without so much as missing a beat, his hand slid back into mine flawlessly. I looked up confused, but he stayed focused on our path. Maybe he just didn't want to risk it.

I had expected Alice and Jasper to be sitting in our room when we returned for the debriefing, but this wasn't the case. Perhaps they figured we'd had enough for today. Whatever they wanted to talk to us about, they could do in the morning.

"I'm going to shower," I said passively as I walked towards the bedroom. Then I paused turning back around to Edward. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. "Don't come in there." I said seriously. I put up his hands.

"Don't worry sweetheart. I'm not like Zachary." I shivered. Very true. I resumed my mission, stripping free of my nasty dress, tossing it into the sink. Washing Lauren's martini, the chlorine, and the sand off was bordering orgasmic. I did my best to restrain from soaking in the tub for more than 1 hour, guessing that Edward would want to shower too. Once dried, I changed into my pajamas, the exhaustion quickly taking over my body. Figuring that I wouldn't get to go back into the room while he showered, I grabbed a couple pillows off of the bed and a blanket.

I walked back out into the living room, Edward had his feet up on the table, book in hand. His shirt was now fully unbuttoned allowing his chest and abdomen to show. I did my best to keep from gawking as I used the bedding to half shield my face. I motioned to the bedroom.

"All yours." He nodded, placing a marker in his book before setting it onto the table. He stood, stretching his arms above his head. As I approached the couch, he put out an arm stopping me.

"Why do you have that?" He asked pointing to the bed ware. I looked to the couch.

"I gave the bed up to you. Remember?" He rolled his eyes, snatching the pillows and blanket out of my arms. "Hey!" He walked past me and tossed them back into the bedroom.

"I never said that you couldn't sleep in the bed. We just made a deal that I couldn't be banned from it." I cocked my head. Sounded like the same thing to me.

"Exactly. You get the bed, and I'm going to sleep on the couch." I walked back towards the room, Edward stepped in front of me, blocking the way. I huffed maneuvering to the right, but again he stopped me. I placed my hands on my hips. "Move." He shook his head, hands grabbing my waist tightly. I flailed as he picked me up off of the ground, tossing my over his shoulder. "Put me down!" I shouted. He walked across the living room and back into the bedroom. In a swift motion I was tossed off of his shoulder and thrown onto the bed. I hopped back up preparing to spring at him. "What is your problem?!" I shouted. He put up a waggling finger.

"I wouldn't." I grunted sitting up on my knees.

"I'm agreeing to give you the bed. What do you want from me?" He leaned forward, resting his hands on the bed.

"I want you to stay right…there." His calm voice sending shivers down my spine. Stay in the bed? If he thought that this abnormally copacetic day gave him access to my body, he was two seconds shy of losing a body part.

"So then _you _are sleeping on the couch then?" He shook his head, stripping off his shirt tossing it at my head. I wish upon him death.

"No. I'm sleeping with you." Still calm. I shook my head.

"No you're not." He started to unbutton his pants, I shielded my eyes and turned away.

"Calm down. I'm not trying to seduce you. If that was my goal, I could've already done that by now." I mentally rolled my eyes. His whole bad boy shtick may have worked on other women, but I was not going to add on to that statistic. I peeked over the tips of my fingers, his pants were undone, and hanging dangerously low on his hip, but at least they were still on.

"There's no reason for either of us to sleep on the couch and forfeit a good night's rest. I am going to shower, and so help me god if you're on the couch when I get out, I'm going to chain you to the bed." I leaned back on my haunches, eyes wide in shock for his little outburst. He grinned. "Good girl." Edward stood back up and started to walk towards the bathroom. I admit that I wasn't exactly proud of myself, but I reached behind me and grabbed a pillow launching it as hard as I could at the back of Edward's head.

Having hit its intended target, Edward stopped in his tracks and rolled his shoulders out. I gave a wicked grin. Serves his ass right! He may think that he can control me, but I was going to let him toss me around like a doll. He grabbed a towel off of the counter, giving me a sideways glance.

"You get just that one love. If you're not careful, I can guarantee to make your life a living hell when we tape." I clenched my jaw. I shuddered to think what that meant, especially if this wasn't hell already. "Lay down. Go to bed. I'll be out soon." I huffed flopping back defiantly. I heard the shower faucet kick on as the curtain rings squealed across the curtain bar. I glanced to the living room. I wonder if he would actually follow through if I go out to the couch. And like we was reading my mind, his head popped out from around the doorjamb. "Just checking." He said softly. I flicked him off after the door closed again.

I pulled back the comforter and slid between the cool sheets. The bed _was_ really comfortable. My thoughts were racing, making it harder to fall asleep. I reached into the side table, moving aside the customary bible, wrapping my fingers around the remote. Clicking on the TV I switched channels until some home makeover show came on. I continued to flop around, trying my best to not think about Edward joining me in the bed. Annoyed, I sat up looking down at the innocent inanimate object I was currently laying on.

Hum.

I scooted my butt over into the center of the bed, and while I wasn't nearly big enough to take up the whole space, it would be enough to make it difficult for another person to sleep alongside me. Once on my stomach, I spread my arms and legs wide as though I was making an upside down snow angel. Let's see you lay in the bed now Edward.

Just as I was beginning to lull off to sleep, the sounds of the shower shutting off woke me back up. I squeezed my eyes shut. Let's see what he does. As the shower curtain was pulled back, I did my best to try and regulate my breathing in order to imitate sleep breathing. After a few more minutes, my ears registered the sound of the door opening as soft footfalls crossed the hard wood floor.

Then a pause, followed by a small chuckle.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that." Edward said softly. It was a good thing I was face down, because my satisfied grin was impossible to hold back. I listened as he walked around, the sound of fabric rustling followed up with the closet door being opened and shut. Just get give up Edward. Go grab your bedding and get comfortable on the couch.

The left side of the bed dipped down, right beside my hand. I shifted a little bit. He sighed heavily, and soon I could feel a hand come down onto the top of my head, gently running his fingers through my hair. Maybe he was trying to wake me up. I moved away from his touch, his hand falling onto the pillow beside my head. Just give up, I'm not moving.

"Guess you wanted me to sleep nice and close to you." It felt like my heart had been squeezed with a fist. Excuse me? He wasn't going to actually try and sleep here…right? My left wrist was grabbed gently and picked up slowly. No…no…no. Retreat, you must retreat. I tried to pull free, twisting my lower half so that I could roll over to the right side of the bed, but his grip was firm and steadfast. "Oh no you don't." He pulled back the covers, keeping my arm lifted so that he could slid down onto the bed. Had I actually been asleep, I doubted I would've woken up with the care he took shifting me around.

His leg slid beneath mine, sliding it over so I was pinned between his legs. He then pulled my arm across his chest, using his other to lift my head up onto his, bare, shoulder. I tried to roll away in a natural way, but his grip tightened on my shoulders, pulling me further up onto his torso. I could feel his head twist, his nose buried into my hair.

Kill me!

"Well this is rather comfortable. I might just have to rethink giving you your own room at my house." That's it. Not moving. See Bella, you try to be defiant and it comes back like a boomerang smacking you square in the face. If you would've just acted like an adult, you would be sleeping peacefully on your own side of the bed. "Goodnight sweetheart." He whispered, the sleep in his voice causing it to drawl on a bit.

I would just wait for him to pass out. Then I could extract myself and return safely to my own side. I waited for about 10 minutes, cracking open my eyes. He was breathing slowly and seemed to be sleeping. But over the course of the next hour, every time I would try to pull free it seemed his subconscious brain was just as determined to make me suffer and kept me secured to his side. Coming to the conclusion that I wasn't going to break free, I did my best to try and put as much space between us, deciding to just give up and go to sleep.


End file.
